Pokémon Yellow Version- Special Nuzlocke Edition
by Missingno. Master
Summary: Axel Ketchum, an aspiring Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town, leaves home on a quest to become a Pokémon Master, learning along the way just how truly tough the journey is.
1. A Shocking Start

Ahh, Pallet Town. A small, unremarkable town in the Kanto region, a place of perpetual peace and tranquility. That said, it was known to occasionally have its moments...

The front door to one of Pallet Town's few settlements burst open, making way for the excitable eleven-year-old boy who seemed hell-bent on getting outside. This youth was Axel Ketchum, a boy who, since his youth, dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, of being the very best like no one ever was. And now that he was eleven years old, his mother had finally given in and allowed him to leave home. The usual age for becoming a Trainer was ten, but Mrs. Ketchum didn't want him leaving home just yet- reports from around the region spoke of a criminal organization that exploited Pokémon for profit, even stealing from Trainers. Thus, she had to put up with an entire year of begging and pleading from Axel, until she finally relented. She still worried about him, but in her heart she knew that nothing was going to keep her son from becoming a Pokémon Trainer.

Of course, had Axel not been begging and pleading so much, he might have tried to plan his journey out a bit over the past year. With every excited step, he drew closer to a narrow path which led out of town, said path being choked with knee-high grass.

The grass didn't deter Axel, of course, as he stepped into the thick grass. But then, as he was several steps in, he heard a rustling sound just ahead of him. Axel froze in place, his excited grin fading fast as he realized one fairly major fact- he had nothing to do against a wild Pokémon. The only thing in his backpack was a change of clothes, and a single Potion he got for his birthday the other day. Oh, why didn't he ask for a Poké Ball instead?

The rustling grew louder, and then, it emerged from the grass before Axel- a vivid yellow rodent with stubby arms and legs, pointy ears tipped in black, a jagged tail in the shape of a lightning bolt, and bright red circles on its face, one on each cheek. It looked up at Axel, uncertainty in its eyes, and sparks starting to fly off its red cheeks. "Piiiikaaa..." it growled as Axel nervously started to step back-

"Go, Poké Ball!"

Axel turned to look, for the voice had sounded from behind him, just in time to see an older man running towards him, at a remarkable speed for someone of his age. He had grey hair and was clad in a white lab coat, and was currently throwing a red-and-white sphere at the small, yellow creature. The ball split open upon contact with the creature, and pulled it inside, converting it into a shapeless mass of transparent red energy. Axel began to breathe easier as he saw the ball fall to the ground. It started to wobble back and forth, almost as though its occupant was trying to escape... but then it fell still.

"Whew," sighed the man in relief as he scooped up the ball. Then, he turned to Axel. "You know, wild Pokémon can appear anytime in tall grass," he admonished the youth.

"Wha- you're Professor Oak!" Axel breathed. "What are you doing in Pallet Town?"

"I run the research laboratory in the southern part of town," explained Professor Oak. "What's your name?"

"Axel, sir," Axel replied. "Axel Ketchum."

"Ketchum?" murmured Oak. "I'm sure I've heard that name before... Ahhh, must just be something I saw on TV," he shook his head dismissively. "But yes, Axel- my grandson's mentioned you once or twice."

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Axel. "You mean Zack Oak is your grandson?! I thought he was just screwing with me!"

"That does sound like something he'd do," admitted Oak. "But he was telling you the truth about this one. Now, see, here's the thing- you need your own Pokémon for your protection if you're going to be going out into the tall grass." And then the old man snapped his fingers. "I know!" he exclaimed. "Here, come with me," he offered. And as he started to walk away from the tall grass, Axel followed him, still in awe of getting to meet the esteemed Pokémon researcher.

The walk was not a long one- Pallet, remember, is a rather small town- and before too long, Axel found himself before a large, impressive building. Then, he realized that Professor Oak was holding the door open for him, so he hastened to enter.

Inside the building, Axel could see a number of bookshelves, stocked with large, heavy volumes, and a number of men and women in lab coats walking around. Some were perusing these large books, others were consulting papers of some kind. But what really caught Axel's attention was the red and white sphere- the Poké Ball- he could see sitting on a table in the next room. Propelled by the desire to finally own his own Pokémon, he raced into the room- only to stop short. "You?!" he exclaimed.


	2. Battling With Battery

"Me," smirked the other eleven-year-old boy in the room. He wore a black t-shirt, purple pants, and a perpetually smug look on his face. His light brown hair was hopelessly disheveled, unlike Axel's dark brown hair, which was barely visible save for what stuck out from beneath his red-and-white cap. Then, the boy glared at the old man who was now standing beside the table. "Gramps!" he snapped. "I'm fed up with waiting!"

"Zack?" Oak murmured. "What brings you here so soon? I asked you to come by later... Well, whatever. Axel," he added, turning to the youth he wasn't related to. "See that ball on the table? It's a Poké Ball- it contains a Pokémon, and you can have it! Go ahead, take it!"

"Wha- Gramps!" exclaimed Zack. "What about my Pokémon?"

"Be patient, Zack," Professor Oak admonished his grandson. "I'll give you one later." As he spoke, Axel slowly approached the table. Wanting to savor the moment, he reached out for the Poké Ball-

"Yeah, screw that," snapped Zack. He stomped over to the table, roughly shoved Axel aside, and swiped the ball. "I want this one!"

"Hey!" Axel exclaimed. "That was mine!"

"Zack! What are you doing?!" demanded Professor Oak. "I just told Axel he could have that one!"

"Yeah, but I want it," retorted Zack, his tone suggesting that his desires trumped everything else in existence.

"But, I... Oh, fine," sighed Oak. "Take it, then. I was gonna give you one later anyway... Axel, come here," he added. Still glaring at Zack, Axel approached the professor.

"Heh, you snooze, you lose," chuckled Zack.

Ignoring his grandson, Oak addressed Zack, taking a second Poké Ball out of his lab coat pocket. "Axel, remember the Pokémon I caught earlier? Well, I wasn't gonna do this, but since a certain grandson of mine got greedy, and since I did promise you a Pokémon... here. Just keep in mind, I caught it in the wild, so it's probably not that tame yet, alright?"

"That's fine!" Axel said eagerly as he accepted the sphere from Oak.

"Alright, then," smiled Oak. "It's called a Pikachu, by the way- unless you'd like to give it a nickname?"

"Hmm..." Axel murmured thoughtfully. "Well, since it looked about ready to zap me back there, I think I'll call it Battery."

"Not bad," Oak smiled approvingly. "Now, if you find a wild Pokémon, your Pokémon can fight against it! Now you can head on out to Viridian City without having to worry."

"Awesome!" smiled Axel, as he started to head for the exit, eager to get going. "Thanks, professor!"

"Wait, Axel!" came Zack's voice. Axel stopped and turned back- the messy-haired kid was approaching him, his ill-gotten Poké Ball in his hand. "Let's check out our Pokémon! Come on, I'll take you on!"

"Wha- you want a battle?!" said Axel.

Zack nodded. "Unless you're scared," he added.

Axel narrowed his eyes. Throughout their youth, Zack had always asserted that he would make a much better Trainer than Axel would, but now that they actually had Pokémon, Axel realized it was time to prove this arrogant jerk wrong once and for all.

"Alright, you're on!" Axel declared. With that, the two boys stepped backward, giving enough space between them for the impending Pokémon fight. Professor Oak sighed, though still smiled- he had figured this would happen, but had no objection to a battle between two such young Pokémon taking place in his laboratory.

Zack threw his Poké Ball first. "Here we go!" he cried out. The ball split open in midair, letting loose a rush of bright white energy, which formed into a fluffy brown Pokémon, who squealed happily at the prospect of a battle as the Poké Ball snapped shut and flew back into Zack's hand.

"An Eevee, huh?" murmured Axel. "OK, Battery!" he added, throwing his ball. "You can do this!"

In a flash of light, Axel's Poké Ball unleashed the Pikachu from before. It looked around the laboratory curiously. "Pika Pikachu?" it muttered. Then, as it saw Zack and Eevee before it, and then Axel behind it, it started to get the idea, though it glared distrustfully at Axel.

"C'mon, Battery," Axel murmured pleadingly. "Please do this."

"Pika..." grumbled Battery, but it wheeled around to face Eevee all the same, cheeks sparking menacingly.

Now smiling again, Axel called out to his Pikachu. "Let's go, Battery! Use Thunder Shock!"

"Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUU!" bellowed Battery as it unleashed a powerful jolt of electricity from its body. Eevee squealed unhappily as the attack coursed through its body, but when the attack finished, it was still standing.

"Eevee! Tail Whip, go!" ordered Zack.

In response, Eevee wheeled around and wagged its tail uselessly. Neither Battery nor Axel knew what to make of this.

"Uhhh... OK," said Axel uncertainly. "Um... Battery, use Thunder Shock again, I suppose."

"Tackle!" exclaimed Zack.

"Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUU!" repeated Battery as it attacked Eevee with another dose of voltage. But this time, instead of wagging its tail, Eevee charged forward and slammed into the Electric-type with great force.

"Battery!" Zack exclaimed. The Pikachu was already climbing to its feet, but it was still obvious that that one attack had dealt a great deal of damage. "How did one attack do this?!"

"Because Battery's Defense was down," Professor Oak explained. "That's what Tail Whip does."

"Gramps! Can you not give advice to the enemy?" demanded Zack.

"Axel is hardly an enemy," Oak frowned. "He's just as new to this as you are."

"Oh, boo-hoo!" snapped Zack.

"Battery, here," Axel was saying, as he rummaged around in his backpack, finally pulling out a purple spray bottle. "This'll help with those wounds."

"Pika?" murmured Battery as Axel sprayed the Potion on the Pikachu's wounds. The spray stung slightly, but the Pikachu could already feel its healing effects. It looked up at Axel once more, who was looking relieved to see the Electric-type feeling better.

"Yeah, no, screw that," snapped Zack. "Tackle!

"Vee!" squealed Eevee as it slammed into the Pikachu once again. Axel groaned- the Potion's work seemed to be completely undone in just one move!

"Hah!" laughed Zack. "Looks like this is just about over!"

"It's not over until it's over!" retorted Axel. "Battery! Thunder Shock!"

Zack yawned as his Eevee was blasted with even more electricity. "Y'know what? We don't need to finish you off this second. Eevee, Tail Whip, just to make him mad."

"Vee..." murmured Eevee, now sounding uncertain. Nevertheless, it turned around and wagged its tail yet again.

"Don't let it get in your head, Battery!" warned Axel. "Come on, Thunder Shock, let's go!"

"Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUU!" bellowed Battery. And this time, judging by Eevee's screams, the electricity seemed to be hitting some sort of weak spot. And what was more, by the time the attack was completed, Eevee slumped to the floor, slowly stirring and slightly smoking.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Zack. "Unbelievable! I picked the wrong Pokémon!"

"Damn straight you did," smirked Axel. "Battery, you were great!"

"Pika..." murmured Battery, looking up at Axel. Perhaps this human wasn't so bad after all?

"Come back, Eevee," grumbled Zack, holding out Eevee's Poké Ball so the white button in the middle was aimed right at the Normal-type. A red beam shot out of the ball, and as it struck Eevee, it converted it into transparent red energy, which was then sucked back into the ball. "Well, OK. I'll make my Pokémon fight to toughen it up. Axel, Gramps, smell ya later!" And with that, he stormed out of the laboratory.

"Alright, come back, Battery," said Axel, holding out his Poké Ball just as Zack had done.

But Battery deftly dodged the beam. "Pika!" it exclaimed in protest, shaking its head.

"Hm?" Oak murmured upon observing this. "Well, would you look at that- it appears that your Pikachu dislikes Poké Balls. You should just keep it with you, that should make it happy."

"Is that true?" asked Axel, kneeling down. "Battery, would you prefer to just stay out of your Poké Ball?"

"Pikachu," nodded Battery firmly.

"Well... that settles that, then," smiled Axel. He pressed the button on the Poké Ball, which shrunk it down to the size of a ping-pong ball. He then placed the ball on one of the six special clips on his belt, specially designed to hold Poké Balls. "Come on, Battery, let's go!"

"Pika!" smiled Battery, who followed its new Trainer out the door of Professor Oak's laboratory.


	3. Special Delivery Edition

Route 1 was beautiful. Tall grass and trees everywhere, numerous ledges to be navigated around, and of course, the abundance of wild Pokémon, from the scurrying Rattata to the soaring Pidgey. As Axel and Battery made their way north, they took in these sights with interest, though at first, no wild Pokémon sought to bother them.

Soon enough, Axel happened upon a teenage boy, not much older than himself, dressed in a light green apron with a white Poké Ball design on the front. "Hi!" the teen greeted Axel. "I work at the Pokémon Mart in Viridian City. It's a very convenient shop for a Trainer, and I can see you're a Trainer," he added glancing down at Battery. "So maybe you could stop by once you get to Viridian City. Here," he added, producing a purple spray bottle from his bag identical to the empty Potion bottle Axel had discarded in Oak's lab. "Take this as a free sample- a Potion!"

"Thanks," grinned Axel, accepting the Potion. "C'mon, Battery," he added as he continued to walk.

"Pika!" replied Battery, who was happy to follow its Trainer.

They continued on their way, but not half a minute had passed since being given the Potion when something finally happened- as Axel was trekking through a patch of tall grass, the grass in front of him started to rustle. And then, finally, a small, brown, winged creature shot up out of the grass, hovering in midair by flapping its wings and chirping loudly.

"Wha- a Pidgey!" exclaimed Axel. "Battery, Thunder Shock!"

"Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" responded the Pikachu, who blasted the Pidgey with electricity. Shrieking its displeasure, the Pidgey flew away with great haste.

"Awesome!" grinned Axel.

"Pika!" smiled Battery, smiling the most Axel had seen it smile yet.

The rest of the journey was relatively uneventful. Another Pidgey barred their path at one point, but Battery's Thunder Shock made short work of it. At long last, they found themselves leaving the tall grass behind in favor of pavement and buildings- they had made it to Viridian City!

"I wonder what she meant by 'we hope to see you again'," Axel murmured as he exited a large building with a red roof- a Pokémon Center. They were hospitals for Pokémon, located in most towns and cities in the world (except, of course, for Pallet Town- it was considered too small for anyone to bother building a Pokémon Center in town), and instantly recognizable by their distinctive red roofs. While his Pokémon wasn't in bad condition by any stretch of the imagination, Axel stopped in nevertheless to ensure that Battery was in good health. And after a little more walking, they came across another building, this one with a blue roof. "Ah!" Axel grinned, reading the sign on the wall beside the doors- "Pokémon Mart", the sign read. Eager to stock up for his journey, Axel stepped in as the doors slid aside automatically for him.

"Excuse me," called a voice as soon as Axel stepped through the door. "By any chance, did you come from Pallet Town?"

The voice was that of the clerk standing behind the counter. Axel approached him. "Yeah, actually, I did," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Thank goodness," grinned the clerk. "Our usual delivery boy is out sick this week- caught Farfetch'd pox, poor guy, that's no picnic- so I was wondering if you might be able to help. Professor Oak's order just came in, do you know him?"

"I sure do," grinned Axel. "He actually gave me Battery here," he added, nodding to the Pikachu by his side."

"Wonderful," said the clerk, sounding relieved. "So, could you maybe take this to him?" he asked, holding out a small cube wrapped in brown paper. It looked just large enough to hold a Poké Ball.

"Alright, I guess," conceded Axel, accepting the package. Oak did save him, after all, he figured he owed the man at leas that much. Besides, it wouldn't be too long of a detour, and certainly not a dangerous one, not with Battery by his side.

As Axel expected, the journey back to Pallet was uneventful. Even more uneventful than the journey from Pallet to Viridian, in fact- now that he was headed south, he was able to jump down the ledges instead of having to navigate around them. This allowed him to bypass a good chunk of Route 1's tall grass- indeed, the only Pokémon they encountered on the way back was a single Pidgey near the end of the route, and Battery's Thunder Shock drove it off quite efficiently.

"Professor?" Axel called as he pushed the door to Oak's lab open. "Professor Oak?"

"Ah, Axel!" called Oak from the back room. "Come in, come in! How is Battery doing?"

"Pikachu!" Battery called out in reply as both he and Axel entered the back room.

"Well, well," smiled Oak. "It seems to be warming up to you quite nicely. Axel, you may well have the makings of a great Trainer." Axel beamed with pride at this praise- and from an esteemed Pokémon researcher, no less!

"Pika," Battery prompted its Trainer.

"Wha- Oh! OH! Right!" Axel started, suddenly remembering why he had returned in the first place. "Professor, here," he stated, presenting the parcel to Oak.

"Ah, I know what this is," Professor Oak said, accepting the square package. "This must be that custom Poké Ball I had on order. Thank you! I wasn't expecting to get it until next week at the very least, though- I heard about the Viridian Pokémon Mart delivery boy getting sick," he said, shaking his head. "I had Farfetch'd pox myself at his age, and it is a real pain in the-"

"Gramps!" interrupted an unpleasantly familiar voice. Sure enough, as Axel turned to look, there was Zack, storming up to the professor. "Check it out- my Pokémon's getting stronger!"

"Wonderful," Oak nodded. "Now, then, Zack, this is actually excellent timing- I actually have a request to make of the both of you." As he said this, he stepped over to a nearby desk and picked up a pair of red objects off of it. "Now, this is my invention- the Pokédex!" he said proudly. He handed one to Zack and the other to Axel. Axel examined it- it was almost shaped like a book, except when the front panel was opened up, it revealed buttons and a screen. "It's designed to automatically record data on Pokémon you've seen or caught- a high-tech encyclopedia!"

"Cool," breathed Axel.

"You think everything is cool," scoffed Zack, though he too looked impressed with the device, almost against his will.

"It's always been my dream to make a complete guide on all the world's Pokémon," sighed Oak. "But... well, I'm too old to get it done now. Axel, Zack, that's why I'm asking the two of you to act in my stead, and fill up the Pokédex!"

"Sure thing," smirked Zack. "Leave it all to me, Gramps. Axel," he added, turning to his rival. "Sorry to say it, but... well, you won't be needed for this. I think I'll start by borrowing a Town Map from my sister. And I'll be telling her to not give you one, Axel," he added. "HAH!" And with that final laugh, he swaggered out of the lab.

Professor Oak sighed. "He's a good kid, Axel, believe it or not. He's just a bit full of himself sometimes. I have complete confidence in the both of you."

"Thanks, professor," smiled Axel as he and Battery headed for the exit.

Like before, after the two of them exited Oak's lab, they headed north, but this time, Axel made a sudden turn, heading for a nearby house. Battery was a bit surprised, but followed his Trainer anyway as he started knocking on the door.

The door opened, and a cute teenage girl opened it up. She had light brown hair, the same shade as Zack's, but her hair was long, clean, and straight, going down almost to her waist. "Hello, Axel," she smiled.

"Hi, Daisy," Axel smiled back. "So, uh, your grandfather gave me this mission to do-"

"Let me guess- that Pokédex of his, right?" asked Daisy. Axel nodded. "Typical Grampa," sighed Daisy, though with a smile. "You just missed Zack, too- that brother of mine told me to not give you a Town Map. Well, you know what?" she added with a smile. "What my little brother doesn't know won't hurt him." As she said this, she gave to Axel an orange rectangular object. Axel pressed a button on one side of it, and the rectangle split into two halves, splitting apart to reveal a screen, which displayed a detailed map of the Kanto region.

"Cool!" grinned Axel. "Thanks, Daisy- as soon as Zack told me he'd tell you to not give me a Town Map, I had a feeling you'd give me one."

"Yeah- I am sorry for him, by the way," Daisy added. "I know he can be arrogant and- oh my Mew, a Pikachu!" she squealed, having finally spotted Battery. "Ohh, it's so cute! It's- Axel, is this your Pikachu?"

"Mm-hmm," nodded Axel. "I just became a Trainer!"

"That's wonderful!" smiled Daisy. "Well, then, you'll want to buy some Poké Balls- you can't catch wild Pokémon without them, after all. Viridian City's Pokémon Mart should have them in stock."

"Right!" said Axel. "Bye, Daisy! C'mon, Battery! Back to Viridian City!"

The second journey to Viridian City was somewhat uneventful, with only a couple of Pidgey getting in their way. After the first one, Axel eagerly looked it up on his Pokédex, but to his dismay, the device was only able to register an image of a Pidgey, and not any detailed data. Pikachu, on the other hand, the Pokédex had registered the average height and weight of the species, and even a small blurb of information which warned against yanking on a Pikachu's tail, something not exactly on Axel's to-do list in the first place.

"...And a couple of Potions, please," Axel was saying. In response, the Pokémart clerk handed him a couple of purple spray bottles and almost a dozen red-and-white spheres. Axel grinned as he paid the clerk the necessary Pokédollars, then packed the Poké Balls and Potions into his backpack and exited the building.

"Pikachu?" Battery said questioningly, for Axel was headed south yet again, almost as though the entirety of their journey was to be simply going back and forth between Pallet and Viridian.

"We're headed back to Route 1," Axel explained to his partner. "I want to catch me a Pokémon!"

"Pi! Pikachu," Battery nodded, now getting it.

Back on Route 1, Axel hopped down the first ledge he saw, landing squarely in a large patch of tall grass. His eyes darted eagerly in every direction, on the lookout for what could potentially become his first catch. And then he saw it- a purple rodent emerging from the grass.

"Wow, a Rattata!" Axel said excitedly. "Let's go for it!"

"Pika!" nodded Battery, whose cheeks began to spark. "Piiikaaaa..."

"No!" Axel interrupted. "We don't want to scare it off, and if those Pidgey are any indicator, just one Thunder Shock would do just that. No, lemme try this," he added, reaching into his backpack and pulling out one of the ping pong ball-sized red and white spheres. He pressed the button, and the ball grew to its full size. "Alright, Rattata, you're mine!" declared Axel, throwing the ball at the Normal-type. "Go, Poké Ball!"

The ball struck Rattata, but before it could react it was sucked inside. Axel smiled happily as the ball fell to the ground and started shaking... but then, cracks started to form on the ball, and before Axel knew it, the ball had shattered into pieces, and Rattata was back out in the open, this time fully aware of the new Trainer and his Pikachu. Eager to fight, Rattata spun around and wagged its tail.

"Another one with Tail Whip," grunted Axel. "Well, this one should do the trick," he added, another Poké Ball in hand. "Go, Poké Ball!"

Once again, Rattata was sucked into the thrown ball, and the sphere came to rest on the ground where it started to violently wobble back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... until finally, it came to a complete stop.

"I... I did it. I did it! I DID IT!" cheered Axel, causing a flock of nearby Pidgey to take off in alarm. Paying them no attention, he raced over to the ball and picked it up, looking at it like he could hardly believe that it existed. "I caught my first Pokémon! I caught a Rattata!"

"Pi Pikachu!" cheered Battery.

"Heh, alright, let's check it out," Axel added, producing his Pokédex. Sure enough, to his delight, he was able to locate a full entry on what he had just caught.

"Rattata. A Rat Pokémon," the Pokédex said in a mechanical monotone. "Will chew on anything with its fangs. If you see one, it is certain that 40 more live in the area."

"Well, we got a new friend, Battery," grinned Axel, putting his Pokédex away. "I think I'll call him... Itchy. It's a reference to something," he added, for Battery had tilted its head in confusion. "I'll explain it to you sometime, but for now, let's meet our new buddy!" he added, throwing the ball into the air, which unleashed Itchy the Rattata. "Hi," Axel smiled, kneeling down beside the Rattata. "My name's Axel, and this is Battery.

"Rrrrattata..." replied Itchy uncertainly, still looking wary of the both of them.

"Pika pika," Battery greeted Itchy. "Pika pika, Pikachu. Pika Pikachu, chu Pikachu..."

Battery and Itchy continued to converse in this vein for some time, and after several minutes, Itchy didn't look so wary anymore. "Rrrrattata!" it exclaimed, now sounding happier.

"Awesome," grinned Axel. "Alright, how about we get in a little bit of training, huh, guys?"


	4. Talkin' Bout An Evolution

Itchy, as it transpired, was far from the strongest Route 1 had to offer, even by Rattata standards. For a while, he could only get in a single Tackle, before having to let Battery handle the rest. But they persevered, and Itchy began to get progressively stronger. And as they trained, Axel discovered another function of the Pokédex- he could use it to look up the attacks his Pokémon currently knew. In doing so, he found out that Itchy didn't have any other moves beyond the Tackle and Tail Whip he had already shown, but that Battery knew Growl and Tail Whip in addition to Thunder Shock.

"Itchy! Tackle now!" cheered Axel.

"Rrrrrattata!" Itchy cried out, slamming yet again into the wild Pidgey he was up against. This blow was the final straw, and the Pidgey collapsed, nearly unconscious, having only enough strength to weakly sort of crawl away from the fight before more damage was done.

"Way to go!" cheered Axel. "Itchy, Battery, you two are getting stronger and stronger!"

"Pikachu!" smiled Battery.

"Alright, let's rest up at the Pokémon Center, and then check out Route 2," suggested Axel. This suggestion went down quite nicely with the Pikachu and Rattata, and once the latter was back in his Poké Ball, the former walked alongside his Trainer as they approached the building with the red roof.

Not long afterwards, they headed up north, stopping only to observe as an old man tried to catch a wild Rattata that had wandered into town from up north, only for his last Poké Ball to shatter.

Once they reached Route 2, the first thing Axel could see was a thick mass of trees before him- the fabled Viridian Forest. A natural maze. He shuddered- he didn't think he'd be ready to tackle that kind of place just yet. However, he could see a patch of tall grass just short of the forest's entrance, so he headed towards that. Before he could reach the grass, though, another Pidgey emerged from it, and upon noticing the Trainer, adopted a fighting stance.

In response, Battery's cheeks crackled with electricity. "Battery, no-" began Axel.

"CHUUUUUUUU!" interrupted Battery, as a jolt of electricity was fired at the Pidgey. Axel groaned, expecting the Pidgey to fly away, but to his surprise, the Pidgey wasn't moving. In fact, it wasn't moving in spite of obviously attempting to do so- the electric jolt paralyzed it.

"Wait... what?" murmured Axel. "Was that a new move?" He consulted his Pokédex curiously, and sure enough, he could see that the fourth space in Battery's list of moves had been filled in with two words: Thunder Wave. "Ohhh, I see- Thunder Wave doesn't damage enemies, it just paralyzes them," smiled Axel, before turning to Battery. "You did that so it'd be easier to catch, didn't you?" he asked.

"Pi ka chu," nodded Battery.

"Well, then, looks like it's my turn now," grinned Axel, the red-and-white sphere already leaving his hand. "Go, Poké Ball!"

Emboldened by yet another successful catch, Axel continued on into the Viridian Forest, albeit not too far in- his plan was to catch another Pokémon, then head on back to the Pokémon Center, not only to heal up Battery and whatever he would catch in the forest, but also to heal Ozone, his new Pidgey, of her paralysis. And sure enough, another Pokémon came to Axel in the woods- this one was a small, green insect with red antennae- a Caterpie. Battery started with an encore performance of his earlier Thunder Wave, and Axel followed up with yet another Poké Ball... and another... and a third one... and they were soon welcoming Flutters the Caterpie to their team.

This was followed by some further training. Ozone proved proficient in the use of the Gust technique, and as the training progressed, even learned how to use Sand Attack. Flutters, meanwhile, showed excellent use of Tackle, and also, according to the Pokédex, knew a move called String Shot.

Flutters, Axel noticed, wasn't quite as strong as her teammates, and took more training than them to get stronger. Her battles took longer, and she was more dependent on her teammates' help than Itchy or Ozone ever were. But they persevered, and soon enough...

"Flutters! Tackle it!" exclaimed Axel. Chattering in response, the Caterpie surged forward, and rammed the wild Rattata so hard that it turned tail and fled. And then, to everyone's surprise a bright white glow started to emanate from Flutters's body. "Flutters? What's happening?" asked Axel as the glowing mass that was Flutters changed shape somewhat. And then, as the glow faded away, Axel realized what had just happened- Flutters had evolved! Sure enough, she wasn't a Caterpie anymore- rather she was now encased in a hard, green shell. She had evolved into a Metapod.

"Pika!" smiled Battery.

"Metapod, Metapod," replied Flutters. Though her voice was something of a monotone now, and though she didn't have much of a face, her eyes were still lit up with happiness.

"You know what? I think we should explore Route 22 now," declared Axel. "It leads to Indigo Plateau- the Pokémon League headquarters! I mean, obviously we're not that good just yet, but... I kinda want to go check it out. What do you say?"

"Pika pika!" nodded Battery.

"Metapod!" chimed in Flutters, hopping up and down eagerly.

And so, after a brief stop at the Pokémon Center, Axel and Battery headed out to the route west of Viridian City. And, as has been the case with the other routes they traveled thus far, this one too sported a patch of tall grass, subtle movements of which hinted at the presence of wild Pokémon within. And sure enough, as Axel drew close, a creature emerged, this one purple like Itchy, and with noticeable front teeth, but that was where the similarities ended- this creature had large ears, and sported numerous small spikes all over its body, including a prominent horn on its head.

"It's a Nidoran!" exclaimed Axel, throwing a Poké Ball. "Go, Flutters!" he added, his Metapod materializing before him. "Harden!"

"Metapod," droned Flutters, as its hard shell seemed to gleam in the light. In response, Nidoran shot Flutters a piercing glare, and the Metapod shuddered, almost seeming to undo what its Harden did.

"Leer," murmured Axel. "Of course. Flutters, Tackle it!"

"Pod!" responded Flutters, and with surprisingly quick jumps, it was off, slamming its hard body into the Nidoran. The Poison-type tried to retaliate with another Leer, but Flutters was in no position to make eye contact at that point- it was gearing up for another Tackle. Once the second one landed, however, Nidoran managed to maintain eye contact long enough to pull off another successful Leer, further rattling the Metapod.

"Pika..." murmured Battery.

"Yeah, I don't like this," nodded Axel. "Nidoran keeps wearing down Flutters's Defense like that, one good, solid Tackle will be enough to take her out. Flutters, now use Harden again!" he called.

However, as he spoke, Nidoran charged forward, going on the offensive without any warning. Fortunately, even with a lowered Defense, Flutters wasn't harmed much by the attack. She did, however, Harden once more once Nidoran had backed off.

"Wow, nice!" grinned Axel. "Now use Tackle!"

"Metapod!" Flutters exclaimed, slamming into Nidoran once more, who merely glared at the oncoming Bug-type. Flutters shivered at the Leer, but was not deterred, and still delivered the Tackle.

At this point, Nidoran was starting to look worn out, and Axel could notice this, too. "Good- come back now, Flutters!" he called, holding out Flutters's Poké Ball. Once he withdrew his Metapod, he turned to the yellow rodent by his side. "Battery, Thunder Wave!" he ordered.

"CHUUUUUUUUU!" Battery replied, firing off a jolt of electricity which stunned the wild Nidoran. It managed to charge forward and ram into Battery, seeing no other opponent anymore, but it was a real effort, and it was all it could do to back off after using the attack.

"Now! Go, Poké Ball!" Axel exclaimed, tossing a red-and-white sphere at the Nidoran.

Several thrown balls later, and Needles the Nidoran became a part of the team. Following this, Axel retreated to the Pokémon Center, where Battery, Flutters, and of course Needles were all healed of their injuries, and where Needles was introduced to his new teammates. Itchy wasn't so welcoming, but Ozone made sure to prevent a fight from breaking out between the two purple partners. Meanwhile, Needles and Flutters appeared to have some sort of mutual respect between them, possibly as a result of their battle, though as they exchanged glances, Axel got the feeling that the two of them would want to spar again at some point in the future, albeit under more friendly circumstances. And Battery seemed to help most of all in getting Needles acquainted with the other Pokémon, and with their Trainer. More training followed this, the better for Axel to get a feel for what Needles was capable of, and as this took place, it occurred to Axel- he was running perilously low on Poké Balls.

"Huh," Axel remarked, glancing at the pair of Poké Balls among the pile of Potions he had yet to use. "Looks like I better ease up on the catching, at least until I win some battles. Need the prize money to buy more Poké Balls. Alright, let's get back to Route 22!" he declared, a notion that his Pokémon all seemed to agree with. Indeed, Axel and Battery were both in good spirits as they walked through the tall grass and past the ledges, finding themselves on a brick walkway leading down the route, until they saw just who lied ahead of them.


	5. Ex-Zack-Ly

"Hey! Axel!" sneered Zack Oak, walking down the brick walkway in his smug way. "You're headed to the Pokémon League? You? Forget it! You probably don't even have any badges yet!"

"Do you?" retorted Axel.

"That's not important," Zack said. "But like I'm saying, the guard won't let you through without any badges. Hey, by the way, has that Pokémon of yours gotten any stronger?"

"Well, as a matter of fact-" began Axel, but Zack seemed to not require an answer.

"I'll just see for myself," he interrupted, throwing a Poké Ball. "Spearow!" he cried out as the ball burst open, revealing a decidedly different bird than the Pidgey Axel had been seeing. This one had vivid red wings and a fierce look on its face.

"Speeeeeaaaaaroooowwww!" it cawed, flapping its tiny wings furiously to stay airborne.

"Oh, we can handle this!" scoffed Axel. "Battery! Thunder Shock!"

"Spearow! Peck!" commanded Zack.

"Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUUUU!" replied Battery, blasting the Spearow with electricity. However, the Spearow was able to muscle through the voltage and dive down, striking Battery with its sharp beak. Battery cried out, but was far from out of the match. On Axel's request, it launched another Thunder Shock, and this one sent a slightly smoking Spearow spiraling towards the ground.

"Come back, Spearow!" scowled Zack, holding out Spearow's ball in one hand, already throwing another ball with the other hand. "Eevee!" he cried out as the fluffy Normal-type reappeared.

"Battery! Thunder Wave!" ordered Axel.

"Tail Whip!" Zack ordered, but no good- before Eevee could turn around, a jolt of electricity rendered it immobile, struggling to make any move at all.

"Nice! Alright, Battery, take a rest," grinned Axel, already throwing a Poké Ball into the air. "Needles! Horn Attack!" he cried out.

"Sand Attack!" called Zack.

"Raaaaaan!" exclaimed the purple Poison-type as it emerged from the ball, but as it raced forward, Eevee managed to stir up some sand with its tail, sending it flying right into the Nidoran's eyes. Needles charged forward, but veered off-course, the Horn Attack missing completely.

"Is that all you got? Tackle!" Zack grinned.

"Vee!" grunted Eevee. Though struggling to move, it managed to lunge at Needles, and judging by how hard Needles seemed to take the blow, Eevee appeared to have struck a weak point.

"Oh, no..." murmured Axel. "Needles, come back!" he called, gripping the Nidoran's Poké Ball tightly. Once Needles was withdrawn, he threw another ball. "Flutters! Harden!" However, on Zack's command, Eevee issued a Tail Whip, effectively cancelling out Flutters's Harden.

"A Metapod? How weak!" scoffed Zack. "All they can do is Harden!"

"Not this one," retorted Axel. "Flutters, Tackle it!"

"You use Tackle as well!" Zack ordered Eevee, and as the two combatants rammed into each other, Axel couldn't help but notice that Eevee was the stronger of the two. Trying to even the odds a bit, he kept ordering Flutters to Harden, though Eevee managed to get off a Tail Whip, and even a Sand Attack. Most of the time, however, Eevee was rendered immobile by the paralysis.

"Now! Use Tackle!" Axel ordered.

"Metapod!" Flutters cried out, lunging forward... right past Eevee, no thanks to the sand in its eyes. Eevee, in response, slammed into Flutters, albeit not doing much damage. Flutters tried another Tackle, however, and not only did this one make contact, but the paralysis prevented Eevee from retaliating.

Emboldened by this success, Axel kept ordering Flutters to use Tackle. Sometimes Flutters missed, sometimes the attack would hit. Sometimes Eevee could retaliate with Sand Attack, or Tail Whip, or even a Tackle of its own, and sometimes the paralysis proved too much. The match was getting intense as it went on- Axel even had to use a Potion on his Metapod at one point.

"Tackle!" Axel and Zack shouted simultaneously.

Both combatants were looking weary, but still raring to go. The Eevee charged forward, and the Metapod hopped forward in a matter not quite matching the immobility one would think to be the norm for its kind. But then, as they made contact, a sickening crack echoed through the air- Eevee appeared to have struck a weak spot, even on Flutters's armored body. But this seemed somewhat... different from all the other times Eevee had managed to strike a weak point. The attack looked a lot more... brutal, somehow. Of course, Axel knew that Eevee must have wanted to just get the battle over with by this point, but whatever the reasoning, he was now staring at a huge crack in the Metapod's shell, and the thick red liquid trickling out of it. "...Flutters?" Axel said weakly. The Metapod did not respond at all. No movement, not even of the eyes.

The eyes... Axel wasn't even aware that he was walking towards Flutters until he was holding the Bug-type in his arms, but what concerned him was what he saw in Flutters's eyes... or rather, what he didn't see. He saw no light, no reassuring eye movement... no sign of life whatsoever.

"Fl-Fl-Flutters, come back," stammered Axel, aiming the Poké Ball at the Metapod, but to his horror, the beam shot out by the Poké Ball did nothing but shine on the Metapod's shell with all the functionality of a laser pointer.

"Heh. I guess you picked the wrong Pokémon this time," smirked Zack.

"Flutters... No... No, no, no..." Axel gasped, refusing to believe it, refusing to accept what all the evidence was pointing to... refusing to believe that his Metapod was dead.

Zack's facial expression suggested that he didn't give a Raticate's ass about this development, but the look on his Eevee's face was a whole other swarm of Beedrill- Eevee looked shocked, horrified. It couldn't take its eyes off of Metapod's corpse, and looked on the verge of tears.

"Pika..." murmured Battery, tears coming to his eyes as he looked at his former teammate's body. He didn't want to believe it, either... he wanted to see Flutters become a beautiful Butterfree, was looking forward to her becoming one of Axel's most reliable partners... this wasn't fair.

Axel wasn't even aware that one of his Poké Balls had opened up, wasn't even aware that Needles had let himself out, until he saw for himself the horrified look on the Nidoran's face. Of course, Axel realized- Flutters was the one to battle Needles before he was caught. Needles had considered Flutters a friendly rival, but now that rivalry was cut tragically short. And then Needles looked from the Metapod's body to the shocked, remorseful Eevee to its uncaring Trainer, and put two and two together in the blink of an eye. A look of rage in his eye, Needles charged forward and rammed into Eevee, horn-first. Zack gritted his teeth as his Eevee slipped into unconsciousness, but that wasn't enough for Needles- his teammate was killed- his friend was killed! And he demanded that justice be served, and were it not for Zack's timely intervention with Eevee's Poké Ball, Needles would have very well ended Eevee's life, just as Eevee had ended Flutters's.

"Pfft. You just lucked out," grumbled Zack. "Well, I better get going- the Pokémon League is crawling with tough Trainers, and I gotta figure out how to get past them! Smell ya later!" And he walked off, not even caring that Axel was now in tears, with Battery and Needles trying to console him. No, the only thing on Zack's mind right now was how unexpectedly useful that Pikachu had been against his team. Perhaps there was something to this whole Electric-type deal after all...


	6. Moving On

Axel knew the journey would be hard. He knew this from day one. But never in his wildest dreams did he even dare to imagine that he would be burying one of his Pokémon. And yet, here he stood, staring silently at the roughly-carved stone, engraved with the words "RIP Flutters". The stone marked the grave Axel had dug for the Metapod he was once proud to call his own, just on the outskirts of Viridian Forest. In addition to Axel and Battery, there stood Ozone the Pidgey, Needles the Nidoran, and Itchy the Rattata, all of them at a loss for words, none of them ever figuring that one of them might actually perish.

"Well... I..." Axel murmured, his voice heavy. "I... I guess that's it."

"Pika?!" Battery exclaimed.

"Raaaan?!" added Needles.

"Rrrrattata?!" chimed in Itchy, as Ozone chirped in shock.

"I... I can't do this," Axel sniveled. "I wasn't even a Trainer for two days and one of my Pokémon dies on me? I... what would Professor Oak say?"

"He'd say to not let this deter you," came a voice from behind him.

"Oh, yeah, how would you know?" spat Axel. "How would you know what Professor Oak would say to me in this situation?"

"Well, being Professor Oak, I'd say that qualifies me," the voice replied. Axel turned around at this, and sure enough, Professor Oak was approaching him. "Axel... I heard about your Metapod," he said sadly. "You have my condolences. It's never easy to lose a Pokémon... but it happens. It's never pleasant, and it's never easy... but it does happen sooner or later."

"It shouldn't have even happened," Axel said quietly, trying to hold back tears. "I... I should've called her back. I should've told her to use Harden again. I-"

"Axel, look," interrupted Oak. "Going over what you should've done isn't going to do any good. You couldn't have seen this coming. Nobody could've. From what Zack tells me, it was a critical hit, so another Harden wouldn't have made a difference anyway. I told you you have the makings of a great Trainer, Axel, and I stand by that statement," he said. "You can't let this setback stop you. If I let the slightest setback stop me, I wouldn't have become the researcher I am today."

"...I guess so," conceded Axel. "And... I... I guess, stopping, not being a Trainer anymore... I guess that's not what... what Flutters would've wanted."

"From what you say about her, I'm inclined to agree," nodded Oak. "Flutters sounded like the kind of Metapod any Trainer would be proud to own."

"She was," nodded Axel, managing a brave smile at the memory of the Metapod. "She... she really was. Thanks, professor. I.. I really needed this."

At that point, Battery tugged on Axel's pant leg. "Pika pika?" he asked.

Axel smiled down at Battery. "I... I think I'm fine now, Battery."

"Pikachu!" smiled Battery, pleased at this news. Itchy, Ozone, and Needles all added their happy sentiments to this as well.

With Axel in better spirits than before, he and Battery made their way through Viridian Forest, though the journey was not an easy one. For one, the forest proved to be a natural maze, meaning they were getting lost quite a bit. For another thing, the Trainers they encountered were mostly Bug Catchers- young kids carrying Butterfree nets who specialized in Bug-type Pokémon. And every single one of them that Axel battled used Caterpie and Metapod. Given what had just happened to Flutters, it was a hard thing for Axel to find himself in battle against these kinds of Pokémon, but his Pokémon knew better than to let this deter them. They did take care to not utterly destroy the opposition, however. And the training they got, not only against the local Trainers, but also against the local wild Pokémon, proved useful for Battery and the rest of the team.

Finally, Axel stepped out of the trees, and immediately had to shield his eyes against the sunlight, which now had no more trees to block it out- they had made it out of Viridian Forest and onto the northern half of Route 2. What was more, Axel could see buildings up ahead. "Pewter City!" he exclaimed, after consulting his Town Map. "Battery, let's go! We're almost there!"

"Pika pika!" Battery replied, racing after his Trainer, who had already broken out into a run.

Their first stop was the Pokémon Center, but by no means was that their only stop. Axel remembered what Zack had said about badges- he knew that most major cities in Kanto played host to Pokémon Gyms, which was where the strongest Trainers in town would gather, usually all of them specializing in a specific type. And the strongest one among them was known as a Gym Leader. Defeating a Gym Leader in battle would earn a Trainer that Gym's badge. There were eight Gyms scattered across Kanto, and by gathering all of their badges, Axel would earn the right to face the Elite 4 of the Pokémon League- the four strongest Trainers in the land! Only upon defeating them could one be declared a Pokémon Master, so it was the Pewter City Pokémon Gym Axel was headed to right now. After a bit of walking, he and Battery came to a large, imposing building. The Trainer and Pikachu exchanged glances, and after taking a deep breath, Axel pushed open the door and entered.

Pewter Gym looked even bigger inside than on the outside. The entire floor was hardwood, with numerous rocks scattered about, leaving a direct path from the door to a young man standing in the back. As Axel entered the building, a man with glasses on approached him.

"Hiya!" he greeted Axel. "I can tell you got what it takes to become a Pokémon champ! Now, I'm no Trainer myself, but I can tell you how to win. For instance, your Pikachu's gonna have a hard time here."

Axel blinked in surprise. "Really? Why?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "Well, this may be a Rock-type Gym, but every single Pokémon the Trainers here use is a Ground-type. Your Pikachu's Electric attacks won't do any good on Ground-types. And not only that, the Gym Leader, Brock, he's the only one to actually use Rock-types, so if you're not ready for those, it'll be a tough fight."

"Rock-type, huh?" murmured Axel as he dug out his Pokédex. "What do I got that works on Rock-types?" As he spoke, he pressed buttons on the device, scrolling through the lists of attacks known by his Pokémon. "No... No... N- oh! That'll work, when did he learn that?" he muttered with a grin. He put away his Pokédex, thanked the bespectacled man, and started to walk towards the man at the back, whom he could only assume to be Brock-

"Stop right there, kid!" came a voice from Axel's left. Axel jumped as he saw a Jr. Trainer approaching him. "You're still light years from facing Brock!"

"What does that even mean?" demanded Axel.

"Never mind," the Jr. Trainer said hastily, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Diglett!" he shouted as what appeared to be the small brown head of something materialized on the floor. A ring of upturned dirt around it implied that there was more to it, buried underground. This confused Axel, but he didn't dwell on it, instead choosing to choose his own Pokémon, for a Pokémon fight seemed imminent.

"Go! Itchy!" called Axel. "Quick Attack!"

The Rattata appeared, and immediately was little more than a violet blur as it raced forward, ramming into Diglett before its Trainer could give a command. Diglett looked worn out from that one more, and yet still somehow managed to look fierce and determined.

"Diglett! Scratch!" ordered the Jr. Trainer.

"Diglett dig!"replied Diglett as it charged forward, curiously not leaving any damaged floorboards in its wake. Whatever it did to the Rattata, it did it so quickly that Axel couldn't follow it with his eyes. Indeed, how did a Diglett even execute a Scratch attack? He could see no claws of any kind. Regardless, Itchy had been hit by an attack of some sort, and it was time to fight back.

"Itchy, one more Quick Attack!" said Axel.

"Rrrrrrattata!" screeched Itchy, charging forward once more, and this time, Diglett wasn't recovering from the impact.

"Come back, Diglett!" the Jr. Trainer called, holding out Diglett's Poké Ball. Then, he threw another ball. "Sandshrew!" he cried out as a yellow scaly creature with sharp claws materialized.

"Use Quick Attack!" ordered Axel.

"Scratch!" exclaimed the Jr. Trainer.

Itchy rammed into Sandshrew, but this Ground-type seemed to take the damage better than the previous one. In response, it swiped at Itchy with its sharp claws. This repeated again and again, with Itchy using Quick Attack, and Sandshrew retaliating with Scratch, until finally, the latter collapsed to the ground, conceding defeat.

"Darn!" grumbled the Jr. Trainer as he withdrew Sandshrew. "I just remembered- light years isn't time! It measures distance! Here, here's your prize money," he added, forking over over a hundred Pokédollars.

Axel accepted the prize money gratefully and withdrew Itchy. He'd take the Rattata to the Pokémon Center later- based on what that man back there had said, he had a feeling a Rattata wouldn't do him much good against Brock's Pokémon.

Indeed, instead of exiting the building, Axel was approaching the man in the back. His dark brown hair was spiked up, and his eyes almost looked closed.

"I'm Brock," the man greeted Axel. "The Gym Leader of Pewter City. I saw your battle back there. You're not bad. What is your name?"

"It's Axel, sir," replied Axel. "And thanks."

Brock nodded. "But you're up against a Gym Leader now- one who believes in rock-hard defense and determination- one whose Pokémon are all the Rock type! Ordinarily if someone came into my Gym with a Pikachu and a Rattata, I would tell them to come back when they want to get serious about Pokémon... but something tells me you're not most challengers. Something about the way you command your Pokémon. So, even knowing that my Pokémon are all Rock-types, do you still wish to challenge me?" Axel gave a determined nod in response, which Brock returned. "Fine, then!" he said, a Poké Ball in his hand. "Show me your best!"


	7. Rocking The Pewter Gym

"Geodude!" Brock bellowed, throwing his Poké Ball, which unleashed what could only be described as a hovering boulder with two arms and a face. Its entire body looked to be made of rock.

"OK! Needles, go!" called Axel, throwing a Poké Ball of his own, unleashing the purple Poison-type.

"Hm," Brock nodded. "A Nidoran. Normally a bad matchup, but something tells me you have a plan."

Axel nodded. "Use Double Kick!" he ordered.

"Raaaaaan! Nidoran! Nidoran!" grunted Needles as he raced forward, and delivered a pair of forceful kicks with his hind legs. Geodude grunted in protest as the recently-learned attack made contact.

"Tackle!" Brock exclaimed. Geodude's pained grunts turned into ones of determination as it soared forward and rammed into Needles. However, the Nidoran was able to regain his composure with relative ease.

"Again! Double Kick!"Axel ordered.

"Raaaaaan!" shouted Needles, as he raced forward and repeated his attack. Geodude was looking worse with each blow, but to Axel's utter astonishment, still didn't look ready to give up.

"I told you," grinned Brock. "I believe in rock-hard defense and determination. Even a super effective attack like Double Kick by itself isn't enough to get past us. Tackle!" he added, at which point Geodude rammed into Needles once more. Needles, however, wasn't looking tired in the slightest. Those Tackles were taking a bit of a toll, but as it stood right now, the Nidoran was still ready to fight.

"Needles! Horn Attack!" said Axel.

"Raaaaaan!" cried Needles, who charged forward and stabbed at Geodude with his horn. Though this move wasn't as effective as another Double Kick would've been, it still proved sufficient- Geodude fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Come back, Geodude!" Brock called out, holding out the Poké Ball to withdraw his fallen Rock-type. "Not bad at all, boy," he remarked, sounding impressed. "It takes a special kind of Trainer to even get this far. But the battle's only just beginning! Onix!" he exclaimed, throwing another Poké Ball, this one unleashing a gigantic serpent made entirely out of large boulders. It gave a deep, rumbling growl as it looked down at Axel, who now seemed to fully understand why the building's ceiling was so high.

"Pika..." Battery murmured.

"Yeah... It's big..." murmured Axel. However, as he looked out at Needles, he could see that the Nidoran didn't look scared. Well, if Needles wasn't scared, then Axel owed it to him to not be scared, either! "...But we can do this! Right, Needles?"

"Ran!" nodded Needles.

Axel nodded back. "Horn Attack!" he ordered.

"Bide!" Brock called out. As Needles charged forward... Onix did nothing.

"What?" frowned Axel. This had to be a trick.

"When using the move Bide," Brock explained, "Onix can't attack unless it's been attacked twice."

"Wha- seriously?" Axel said, his eyes widening in surprise. "Even if it might be defeated with just two attacks?"

Brock smirked. "Onix be defeated? It won't," he said confidently. "I believe in Onix."

"Hmm..." Axel murmured. Onix did look tough, and he knew Horn Attack wouldn't do much in the first place, but it did even less than he though. "Needles, Leer!" he ordered.

"Ran!" Needles exclaimed sharply, shooting Onix a piercing glare. Even with the glaringly obvious size difference, Onix still shuddered involuntarily. Pleased with this tactic, Needles used Leer once again, causing Onix to shudder further.

"Now, Onix! Double the damage!" Brock commanded.

Onix gave a deep, rumbling growl, and a red aura formed all over its body as it swung its massive tail at Needles. The Nidoran tried to jump over it, but the tip of the tail grazed it, sending it tumbling off to the side. Axel gasped, but Needles was able to get back up. Still, though, the attack had clearly hurt!

"By using Bide, a Pokémon can deal twice the amount of damage that it has received!" Brock exclaimed with a grin. "It takes a good Trainer to make use of such a move!"

"Needles! Double Kick!" Axel cried out.

"Use Screech!" ordered Brock.

Onix responded by grinding the boulder on the tip of its tail against one of the boulders more towards the middle of its body. Nidoran shuddered violently as the resultant noise assaulted its large and sensitive ears, but still charged forward and delivered two swift kicks to Onix's head. Axel was pleased to see that those Leers had not been wasted- Onix's Defense had been significantly lowered, making the move hit harder than it normally would.

"Again! Double Kick!" Axel commanded.

"Now! Bind it!" ordered Brock.

Needles charged forward once more, but this time, Onix was ready. It swung its tail at Needles again, but this time, the chain of rocks coiled around the Nidoran, squeezing it tightly. "Raaaan... Nido..." grunted Needles as it struggled to break free. Alas, it couldn't even execute a Double Kick, let alone escape Onix's grasp. Axel's eyes widened in horror as Onix's grip tightened... and tightened... and tightened... Surely it'd only be a matter of seconds before it proved too much for Needles-

"Come back, Needles!" Axel exclaimed, desperately aiming the Poké Ball at the mass of boulders the Nidoran was currently entombed in. By sheer luck, the beam managed to slip between the rocky coils and withdraw the Nidoran.

"Smart move," Brock observed. "There is no shame in withdrawing your Pokémon when the situation is dire."

"Here's the next one- Ozone!" Axel shouted, throwing another ball, this one unleashing his Pidgey.

"Onix, Tackle!" ordered Brock, and before Ozone could react, the rocky serpent rammed into the Normal/Flying-type, nearly knocking it out of the air. It righted itself, however, and looked ready to go.

"Sand Attack!" commanded Axel.

"Bind!" called Brock. Ozone dove to the ground, but was met with Onix's tail, just as Needles was. The tail began to wind its way around Ozone's body-

"Get back!" Axel cried desperately, holding Ozone's ball out in front of him. Before Onix's coils could do too much damage and wind around the Pidgey too tightly, Axel withdrew the Pidgey. For a moment, Axel didn't know what to do- it was like Onix had an answer for everything!

"Pika pika!"

Before Axel could react, he could see Battery racing forward onto the battlefield. "Battery!" Axel exclaimed.

"Pikachu pika!" responded Battery confidently. It assumed a fighting stance, but its cheeks did not spark as usual. Which reminded Axel- just as Needles didn't need to use poison to attack, Battery need not necessarily use electricity to attack...

"Onix, Bide," Brock said with a small smirk. "Let's see where this goes."

"Battery! Tail Whip!" ordered Axel. In response, the Electric-type wheeled around and wagged its jagged tail back and forth. Onix gave a deep, rumbling, confused growl at this, but did nothing. Grinning, Axel had his Pikachu repeat this action a few times, and sure enough, when the red aura came over Onix's body, it fizzled out almost immediately.

"Onix!" Brock exclaimed.

"I knew it," grinned Axel. "Bide doesn't work if Onix isn't attacked! Battery, now! Use Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" replied Battery, as he charged forward and rammed into Onix at high speeds. The Rock Snake roared in protest, and on Brock's order, responded with a Tackle. Battery was sent tumbling across the battlefield, but got back to its feet in no time.

"Quick Attack!"Axel cried out.

"Pika!" Battery repeated, charging forward once more. This time it jumped up as it ran, ramming into Onix's body just below its head, and from the sheer momentum alone, Onix was sent falling backward to the floor below it. Once the earth-shaking crash had subsided and the dust had settled, Onix was still lying on the ground, unmoving, with the Pikachu proudly standing atop it.

"...So, you have won," Brock said quietly, albeit with a smile. "This was indeed a good battle. As proof of your victory, here- the Boulder Badge." As he spoke, he approached Axel, and handed him what appeared to be a piece of metal designed to look like a small rock. "The Boulder Badge increases the attack power of your Pokémon, and also authorizes its holder's Pokémon to use Flash outside of battle conditions."

"Wow... thanks, Brock!" grinned Axel, gazing at the badge happily. His only regret at this point was that Flutters wasn't around to be a part of this, but that was indeed his only regret right now- all of his Pokémon fought bravely in this Gym, and he wouldn't be holding this badge right now if it wasn't for them. He turned around to exit the Gym, but heard footsteps behind him.

"Wait," Brock said. "Take this with you." Axel turned to see Brock holding out a small white disc. "It's TM34- a technical machine containing Bide, the move my Onix demonstrated in our battle. You can use it to teach Bide to your own Pokémon. But pick the Pokémon carefully- a technical machine is only good for one use."

Axel nodded. "Thanks!" he said.

"If you're as serious about Pokémon training as I believe you are," Brock continued, "then go on to the Pokémon Gym in Cerulean City to test your abilities. Cerulean City is east of Pewter, on the other side of Mt. Moon." Axel nodded his thanks once more before exiting the Gym. Cerulean City was his next stop, for sure, but for now, he was off to the Pokémon Center- his partners deserved a good rest!


	8. Something Fishy's Going On

Route 3, the road leading from Pewter to Mt. Moon, was a bit winding. There were ledges all over, making navigation a bit of a hassle. Moreover, numerous Trainers lined the route, all of whom were eager to battle, though many of them were Bug Catches. Some of them had Pokémon Axel couldn't recall seeing in Viridian Forest, though, namely Weedle and Kakuna, but they didn't prove problematic. And then, as Axel walked around a large rock formation, he saw a nearby patch of tall grass rustling. Curious, he stopped and turned to see what it was, and just a second later, a brown bird with red wings emerged from the grass, flitting around.

"A Spearow!" murmured Axel. He remembered the one Zack had used, but this was his first time seeing one in the wild. He couldn't resist it- he had to catch it. "Go, Itchy!" he called, throwing the ball which unleashed his Rattata. "Quick Attack!"

"Rrrrrrrattata!" screeched Itchy, who slammed into Spearow with great force. Spearow responded with a sharp glare, the Leer making Itchy shudder. Nevertheless, Axel felt that that one Quick Attack might have just done the job.

"Now! Go, Poké Ball!" he shouted, tossing a red-and-white sphere at the Spearow. The Normal/Flying-type was sucked into the sphere, which landed on the ground and wobbled back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... and was still.

Axel cheered as he picked up the ball, proclaiming Stratos the Spearow to be the newest member of the team, with Battery and Itchy adding their own happy sentiments, before Itchy grunted in pain. Realizing that his Pokémon had taken damage from their recent battles, Axel consulted his Town Map, and learned that not only was he very close to the entrance of Mt. Moon, but that there was a conveniently placed Pokémon Center close by, so it was there that he ran, along with Battery.

Once the nurse handed Axel back his Pokémon, proclaiming them to be fighting fit, and expressed an almost ominous desire to see him again, Axel headed over to the computer in the corner- he had never actually accessed the PC storage system before, but decided it might not be a bad idea to start. After all, he already had Ozone, so training Stratos at this point, he saw it as somewhat redundant. Therefore, he deposited the Spearow into the storage system.

Battery, meanwhile, was digging through Axel's bag. "Pika?" he called up to Axel.

"Hmm? What is it, Battery?" asked Axel. He looked down to see Battery holding a Poké Ball and peering into the bag with a confused look. Axel also looked into the backpack, and could see the problem- the empty Poké Ball Battery had grabbed was his last one! He never did restock! "Ooh, glad you pointed that out," Axel murmured. "Alright, let's see if we got enough here for some Poké Balls..." he added, as he pulled out his wallet and proceeded to count his Pokédollars- he had racked up quite a few of them as prize money for winning battles thus far, but unbeknownst to him, the money had attracted the attention of a nearby man.

"Excuse me," the man said, approaching Axel. "I couldn't help but overhear about your Poké Ball situation. Not being able to catch Pokémon, it really and truly is a shame."

"Oh, are you selling Poké Balls?" Axel asked. "That'd be great- it'd save me a trip back to Pewter."

The man's smirk widened. "I'll go you one better," he said, holding up a Poké Ball. "Let me ask you something, young man... do you know of the Pokémon Magikarp?"

"Magikarp? No, can't say that I do," replied Axel.

"Perfect," the man muttered to himself, before speaking normally to Axel. "Well, then, my friend, do I have a deal for you! I happen to have myself a majestic Magikarp right here in this Poké Ball. It's a magnificent creature of the sea, with a fin sitting atop it like a crown, and gleaming scales the color of rubies, and it comes with an attack the likes of which... oh, but it would do me no good to even begin to describe its attack! And here's the best part- for the low, low price of 500 Pokédollars... this Magikarp can be yours!"

"Wow..." Axel murmured. What was more, upon checking his wallet, he could see he had enough money to buy the Magikarp and still have some left over to buy Poké Balls. "You got yourself a deal, sir!"

"Excellent! Smart lad," grinned the man as he accepted the 500 Pokédollars and handed Axel the Poké Ball. "Just remember... no refunds, sucker!" he exclaimed suddenly before bolting out of the Pokémon Center.

"Pika?" Battery remarked, having observed this.

"Huh," Axel said. "I... I didn't just get ripped off, did I? Come out, Magikarp!" he called, throwing the ball in the air... revealing a red fish that flopped around on the floor.

"Karp, karp, karp, karp, karp," the Magikarp repeated over and over as it flopped around.

"Uh..." Axel began, not knowing what to say. Certainly it had a fin that it wore like a crown, and certainly it had ruby-red scales, but... somehow, it didn't seem quite as majestic as the salesman had made it out to be.

"Pika pika," Battery greeted Magikarp.

"Karp karp?" said the Magikarp.

"Pi Pikachu!" nodded Battery. Their conversation continued on in this vein for some time, and after a few minutes, Battery turned to Axel and nodded. "Pikachu," he said.

"You're sure he'll be a good addition to the team?" asked Axel.

"Pi ka!" Battery nodded confidently.

Axel smiled. "Then that's good enough for me," he said simply. "And y'know, he does have that look in his eyes... Even if he's not much yet, I get the feeling he's gonna become really great. I'm gonna call you Kraken, alright?" he asked the Magikarp.

In response, Magikarp jumped up high. "Karp kaaarp!" it replied happily. Satisfied with this, Axel withdrew Kraken and set out to Pewter City, intent on buying more Poké Balls at long last.

En route back to Pewter, more Trainers approached Axel for a battle, giving him a chance to see what Kraken was capable of in battle. And it was then that he learned that yet again, the salesman was right about Magikarp, but not in a good way. Magikarp's only attack was Splash, and it would indeed have done the salesman no good to describe it- Splash did absolutely nothing. Describing it would have cost him the sale. Kraken quickly proved to be more dependent on the rest of the team than any of them ever had been. Itchy and Ozone weren't very pleased with this arrangement, whereas Needles seemed to be reserving his judgment either way until Kraken had more of a chance to show his potential. Battery, however, defended Kraken to the Pidgey and Rattata, and the Pikachu's reassurances helped them warm up to the Magikarp just a little bit, though they both still looked forward to the day where Kraken would be able to fight on his own.


	9. Full Moon, New Moon, Mt Moon

One shopping trip later, Axel found himself approaching Mt. Moon yet again. This time he was armed with Poké Balls aplenty, his Pokémon were all fighting fit and ready to face whatever awaited them within the caves, and Axel himself could hardly wait. Excitedly, he stepped in through the large hole in the side of the mountain, finding himself in a large, spacious cavern. He took a few steps forward to take in the sight better, only to be interrupted by something blue and winged flying right into his face.

"Pika!" Battery cried out.

"Mmph mmph- wah!" Axel cried out as he desperately pried the newcomer off of his face. Finally getting a good look at it, he could tell what it was. "A Zubat!" he exclaimed. In response, the Zubat hissed and dove down at Battery, who responded with a powerful Thunder Shock. Though smoke was now rising from the Zubat's body, it dove down at Battery once more, this time managing to bite the Pikachu and suck some of his blood, the Leech Life healing up a bit of the damage caused by Thunder Shock.

"All right! Go, Poké Ball!" Axel cried out, launching a red-and-white sphere at the Zubat, and before the Poison/Flying-type knew what had happened, the ball fell still upon the ground. "Yes!" Axel exclaimed. "I caught a Zubat!"

"Pi Pikachu!" cheered Battery.

They exited the cave and went to the nearby Pokémon Center, not only to ensure Battery was OK, but also to heal up the injuries that had been inflicted upon Vlad the Zubat during the battle. Once they re-entered the cave, the first thing that happened was a Bug Catcher approaching them, ranting about suspicious men in the cave. Before Axel could assert that he wasn't suspicious (at least, not that he knew of), a Pokémon fight was underway. Kraken was eager to participate, but obviously couldn't- however, Vlad proved to be useful in his first fight- his only move, Leech Life, was a Bug-type move, and the Bug Catcher's Weedle and Kakuna were Poison-types, which gave Vlad a distinct type advantage, and ultimately the victory.

What was more, Vlad proved a valuable asset against the other Zubat they started to encounter. He couldn't dissuade the Zubat from attacking, but he could certainly hold his own against them. Vlad, it seemed, must have been among the stronger Zubat that could appear in the caves, for every time he went up against one of his wild brethren, he came out on top.

Vlad wasn't the only one gaining valuable experience, either- Itchy, Ozone, Needles, and Battery were all getting stronger from the battles Mt. Moon was throwing their way, Itchy even learning a powerful biting technique called Hyper Fang in the process. Even Kraken seemed to be getting stronger, though all of his battle experience thus far mostly consisted of watching his teammates in action. Axel was even finding cool items on the ground- a discarded Potion, a Technical Machine containing Water Gun (which Kraken, despite being a Water-type, could not learn, to general confusion), even a brightly wrapped piece of candy which Axel recognized as a Rare Candy- an uncommon confection said to be highly beneficial to a Pokémon's power levels. He stowed this in his bag, deciding to save it for later.

Eventually, Axel and Battery came across a hole in the floor, with a ladder leading down to an underground level in the cave- a small, narrow tunnel leading to another ladder, which led to a large underground cavern. However, once Axel got off the ladder, a harsh voice caught his attention. "Hey, you!" Axel jumped and turned around- a man in a black outfit, a bright red R on his shirt, was coming his way. "We, Team Rocket, are Pokémon gangsters!" he declared. "And you're butting into our business, punk!"

"What- I was just passing through!" protested Axel.

"No excuses!" roared the Rocket, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Sandshrew!"

In response, Kraken emerged from his Poké Ball, but Axel stopped him. "No, Kraken, not just yet," he said. Ignoring the Rocket's chuckling, Axel threw a Poké Ball of his own. "Go, Itchy!" he shouted.

"Sand Attack!" ordered the Rocket. In response, Sandshrew kicked up dust from the ground, which got right into the Rattata's eyes.

"Itchy! Hyper Fang!" ordered Axel.

"Sandshrew! Scratch!" the Rocket commanded.

The fight was not a long one- even with the sand in his eyes, Itchy still managed to sink his sizable teeth into Sandshrew's scaly hide a few times, which proved too much for the Ground-type.

"Gah!" grunted the Rocket as he withdrew Sandshrew. "OK, you like Rattata? Here's a Rattata for you!" he roared, throwing a second ball, unleashing a Rattata of his own.

"Itchy, come back!" said Axel, holding out his Rattata's ball while throwing another ball. "Needles! Double Kick!"

"Raaaaaan!" bellowed the Nidoran as he charged forward, Before either the Rocket or the Rattata could respond, the Normal-type was sent flying by a pair of powerful kicks from Needles's hind legs. It collapsed in a heap, groaning pitifully. Scowling, the Rocket withdrew Rattata, and threw a third Poké Ball, this one unleashing a Zubat.

"Time to fight fire with fire!" declared Axel as he withdrew his Nidoran. "Go, Vlad!" he exclaimed, throwing another Poké Ball, sending his own Zubat into the fray. "Use Supersonic!"

"Zubat, Zubat," chattered Vlad, as he unleashed a volley of sound waves from his mouth. However, the other Zubat repeated this action, and before Axel knew it, both Zubat were flying erratically.

"Come on, Vlad! Leech Life, go!"ordered Axel.

"You use Leech Life, too!" roared the Rocket.

The battle from there took a while as the Zubat exchanged blows. When either one seemed to shake off their confusion, the other was quick to use Supersonic once more. Sometimes the Zubat would even fly into nearby rocks, hurting themselves in their confusion. Axel actually had to use two Potions on Vlad, but in the end, it was the Rocket's Zubat who fell in defeat. Axel waited, but the Rocket merely scowled- he had no more Pokémon, and he dared not assault Axel directly, it seemed- he was eyeing Axel's Pokémon warily, as though afraid that they would attack him should he try it. He was, of course, right to think this, too. Seeing that this path was a dead end, however, Axel climbed back up the ladders and looked for another path through the cave. This led him to another series of ladders, leading to another underground cavern... and another Rocket.

"Hey!" the Rocket roared. "We're pulling a big job here! Get lost, kid! Zubat!" he exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball. Before anything could happen, however, Battery's cheeks began to spark.

"Piiikaaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" bellowed Battery, zapping the Zubat with a Thunder Shock. Zubat fell to the ground, and the Rocket withdrew it angrily, sending out a long purple serpent in its place- an Ekans. Axel had faced one previously on Route 3, and while Battery was looking ready to go, Axel threw a Poké Ball.

"Vlad! Supersonic!" Axel ordered.

"Poison Sting!" roared the Rocket, but before Ekans could attack, the high-frequency sound waves were already screwing with its mind. Indeed, Ekans seemed much more interested in twisting itself into a purple, poisonous pretzel.

"Now! Use Leech Life!" grinned Axel.

"Zubat bat!" chittered Vlad as he dove down at the writhing, confused Ekans.

The rest of the fight went without much incident- Ekans was able to attack with Wrap at one point, but was for the most part too disoriented to attack, allowing Vlad's repeated super effective strikes to get the job done.

The Rocket backed off, giving Axel a resentful glare. "If you find a fossil, give it to me and scram!" he said, trying to sound intimidating even as he warily eyed Battery.

"Yeah, nothing doing," smirked Axel. He saw a few cool objects lying around the cave floor, so he picked them up before going back up the ladders- this was another dead end.

Further in the cave, Axel made a remarkable discovery- a glass-like black stone. Needles found it highly fascinating in particular. The Pokédex identified it as a chunk of Moon Stone, a mysterious mineral said to be integral in the evolution of certain Pokémon. Not far from there stood a big and bulky Hiker, who came at Axel with two Geodude and an Onix, albeit not nearly as well trained as what Brock had used- Needles had no trouble defeating them. Not far after that, another tunnel, connecting the main cavern with an underground cavern with the aid of a series of ladders, and this time, when Axel came out in the underground cavern, he had a feeling that this was no dead end. Another Rocket made to bar Axel's way, but his Rattata and Zubat didn't put up much of a fight. And from there, the cavern was a large, spacious corridor made of rock, which twisted and curved all around. Nothing short of a few wild Zubat bothered them in this corridor, which Battery was able to take out with no trouble. What was more, Axel managed to discover another Moon Stone concealed in a small hole in the wall. And then, Axel and Battery came to a nerdy sort of man guarding what appeared to be a pair of rocks- one had a spiral pattern, while the other was quite smooth.

"Hey!" the Super Nerd exclaimed upon noticing Axel. "Stop! I found these fossils! They're both mine! Grimer!" he exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball, which unleashed what appeared to be a sentient pile of putrid sludge. Sighing at how easily provoked some Trainers could be, Axel threw Vlad's Poké Ball into the air.

The fight that followed was nothing spectacular- Grimer proved resilient, yet ultimately underwhelming in terms of power- Vlad was able to defeat it with no trouble. It took him a while, but he got it done. Next, the Super Nerd sent in a Voltorb, an Electric-type that didn't actually know any Electric attacks, which meant Ozone was able to take it on with no problems. Finally came Koffing, another Poison-type for Vlad to tackle.

"Oh! Koffing!" exclaimed the Super Nerd as the gas-spewing Poison-type fell to the ground. "All right, all right, I'll share!" he added to Axel. "Let's each take one, OK?"

Axel shrugged. "OK," he agreed.

"OK- that one's the Dome Fossil, and this one... ohhhh... a Helix Fossil," the Super Nerd explained, his tone reaching something like reverence as he mentioned the second of the two fossils, indicating the spiral-shaped one.

Axel sighed, though gave a small grin- this Super Nerd clearly seemed to want the Helix Fossil, even seemed to revere it, strange as that sounded. Therefore, he picked up the Dome Fossil and carefully packed it into his bag, vaguely marveling at how much it was able to hold.

"Thanks," grinned the Super Nerd. "I was kinda hoping you'd take the Dome Fossil, to be honest- I kinda wanted to keep Lord Helix here."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Lord Helix?" he repeated.

"Never you mind," snapped the Super Nerd. "It's a reference to something. You oughta heal your Pokémon, though- there's some shady guys hanging around this area on the lookout for fossils. Mistook you for one of them, which is kinda why I fought you- sorry about that."

"No problem," replied Axel as he dug into his bag, retrieving a coil of rope from within. As if by magic, the rope rose into the air, forming one very large loop. Through this loop, Axel could see what appeared to be Route 4's Pokémon Center, and so he stepped through the loop formed by the Escape Rope, instantly finding himself back outside Mt. Moon's entrance.

"Pika!" Battery exclaimed in surprise as he too stepped through the loop. Axel looked behind him, but only saw the entrance to Mt. Moon- the used Escape Rope had already vanished.

One quick trip to the Pokémon Center later, Axel and Battery ventured back into Mt. Moon. This time, the journey took no time at all, partly because they now knew the way, and partly because only the occasional wild Zubat, Geodude, and Sandshrew got in their way, as opposed to any Trainers. Very quickly they found themselves walking past the Super Nerd, and then, as they rounded a corner, Axel could see a shaft of light coming from a hole in the ceiling which a ladder led to. It surely had to be the exit-

"Stop right there!"


	10. Prepare For Trouble!

Axel wheeled around- a pair of Rockets were approaching him, but these Rockets were wearing white uniforms. The man had relatively short blue hair, while the woman sported extremely long red hair. Behind them, Axel could spot a cream-colored feline with a gold coin embedded in its forehead.

The woman spoke up again. "That fossil is Team Rocket's!" she declared.

"Surrender it now, or prepare to fight!" added the man.

"Meowth! Dat's right!" chimed in the Meowth, to Axel's astonishment.

"Wha- a talking Meowth?" Axel breathed. "How- how does-"

"Never you mind, twerp," snapped the woman, a Poké Ball at the ready. "If you won't hand over the Dome Fossil, we'll take it by force! Go, Ekans!" As she said this, she threw her Poké Ball, unleashing the purple serpent into the cave.

Axel threw his own Poké Ball. "Go, Vlad!" he exclaimed. "Supersonic!"

"Ekans! Poison Sting!" ordered the Rocket, but Ekans was already disoriented by the sound waves.

"Now! Leech Life!" grinned Vlad.

"Ekans, get ahold of yourself!" exclaimed the woman, but it was no good- Ekans started tying itself in knots and banging its head against the cave walls. Between that and Vlad's repeated Leech Life attacks, Ekans fell in no time.

"Alright, let Meowth give it a try," Meowth chimed in before stepping in.

"Vlad, Supersonic!" ordered Axel.

"I don't tink so!" Meowth retorted, lunging forward and striking with Scratch. Vlad desperately let out some sound waves, but didn't aim them properly- Meowth didn't hear a thing. Meowth then used Scratch again, and Axel realized that his Zubat was starting to get a little worn down.

"Come back now, Vlad!" he called out, holding out the Poké Ball as he threw another ball. "Needles! Double Kick!"

Meowth sneered. "Take me on if youse dare," he Growled, his tone so menacing that Needles started to look a bit unnerved. Nevertheless, he lunged forward and delivered a pair of powerful kicks. Meowth was looking irritated at this point, and attacked with Bite, to which Needles responded with another Double Kick. Finally, after one more Double Kick, Meowth crawled back to the Rockets. "I give! I surrender!" he gasped, hiding behind the female Rocket as the male stepped forward.

"Looks like it's my turn," he declared, throwing his own ball. "Go, Koffing!"

"Battery! You got this!"Axel said, turning to the Pikachu. "Thunder Shock!"

"Piiikaaaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" bellowed Battery, blasting Koffing with electricity. Koffing responded by unleashing a cloud of Smog, which cause Battery to cough and choke, but to Axel's relief, did not induce poisoning.

"Battery, Thunder Shock again!" he ordered.

"Koffing, Smog!" the Rocket ordered.

But this time, Koffing didn't get a chance- the Thunder Shock seemed to strike a weak point, and a slightly smoking Koffing fell to the ground with a thud.

"Bah!" grunted the female Rocket. "Who cares if we lost? We're taking that fossil!"

"Ran!" exclaimed Needles- Axel now remembered that he hadn't actually withdrew the Nidoran yet. But as Needles stepped forward, something unusual happened- a bright glow came over Needles's body! The Nidoran grew larger, bulkier, pointier, until the glow faded away, revealing Needles's evolved state. "Riinoooh!" Needles grunted.

"Ehhh... I say it's time for Team Rocket to blast off," suggested the male Rocket.

The female nodded. "At the speed of light!" she agreed. With that, the two of them grabbed Meowth and raced away into the cave.

"Way to go, guys!" cheered Axel. "And Needles, you even evolved! That's so cool!"

"Riinooh! Riinooh!" agreed the Nidorino.

Sure enough, just as Axel had suspected, the exit to the cave was right nearby. They needed only climb a few ladders, and they were back out into the open. What was more, they could see Cerulean City in the distance, and upon realizing this, Axel and Battery broke out into a run, eager to take on their next challenge.


	11. An Unfriendly Rivalry

After resting up at the Cerulean City Pokémon Center, Axel decided that before they would attempt to take on Cerulean Gym, some more training would be in order, so they headed back out to Route 4. A number of inconveniently placed rocks and ledges prevented them from backtracking to Mt. Moon, but there was a patch of grass accessible to them containing many wild Pokémon against which to hone their skills, and the whole team demonstrated just what they could do against them. Even Kraken surprised everyone by demonstrating a newly learned Tackle attack against a particularly vicious wild Spearow, even emerging victorious against it. He still took a while to win battles, but at least now he could win them on his own.

Whenever they needed breaks from training, Axel and Battery would walk around Cerulean City, taking in the sights. At one point, Battery even called Axel's attention to another Rare Candy on the ground, which Axel put into his bag. And then, after overhearing about the Nugget Bridge challenge at the Pokémon Center, Axel decided to check it out. He made his way north of town- the challenge, he heard, entailed defeating the five contest Trainers in order to win a special prize. Not only did this prize sound enticing, he figured it would make for some good training as well. And then, as Axel made his way to the long bridge stretching across a river just north of town, his heart sank as he saw who was crossing the bridge, making his way south.

'Yo! Axel!" smirked Zack. Axel did not respond- this was the first time encountering Zack since... since Flutters. Even Battery growled, his cheeks sparking threateningly, but Zack paid no attention. "You're still struggling along back here? I'm doing great- I caught a bunch of strong and smart Pokémon! Here, lemme see what you caught!"he added, throwing a Poké Ball. "Spearow!"

"Battery," Axel finally spoke up as Zack's Spearow materialized. "Thunder Shock!"

"Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" replied Battery, assaulting Spearow with a powerful electric shock. Spearow was shaken, but not taken out- on Zack's order, it dive-bombed the Pikachu to deliver a Peck attack, In retaliation, Battery let loose another Thunder Shock, and this one sent Spearow spiraling to the ground.

"Come back, Spearow!" scowled Zack, a ball in each hand- one to withdraw Spearow, the other containing his next Pokémon. "Sandshrew!"

"Battery, get back!" ordered Axel, also throwing a Poké Ball. "Vlad! Supersonic!"

But Sandshrew was able to deftly evade the volley of sound waves, even striking back with a powerful Scratch. It also unleashed Sand Attack- while obviously Vlad had no eyes for the sand to get into, the flying grit was messing with its echolocation capabilities, causing it to misfire Supersonic. Eventually, however, it managed to hit its target, and Sandshrew began to stumble about in confusion.

"Now! Bite it!" Axel called.

"Sand Attack!" snarled Zack. Indeed, as the Zubat dove down, more flying sand interfered with the sound waves it was using to try and get a lock on its target's location, and it missed completely.

"This isn't working," Axel murmured, holding out the Zubat's ball. "Come back, Vlad! Go, Itchy!" he added, tossing another sphere which unleashed his Rattata.

Unfortunately, Sandshrew chose that exact moment to shake off the confusion altogether. It lunged at Itchy, delivering a powerful Scratch.

"Itchy! Hyper Fang!" ordered Axel.

"Scratch it!" commanded Zack.

The combatants lunged at each other, their attacks hitting their marks near-simultaneously, but neither of them looked ready to give in just yet. "Now! Quick Attack!" called Axel, and almost before he stopped speaking, the Rattata was already slamming into Sandshrew, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Come back now, Sandshrew!" scowled Zack, already throwing a third ball into the air. "Rattata!"

"Itchy, you got this?" asked Axel.

Itchy nodded. "Rrrrrattata!"

Axel nodded back. "Then use Quick Attack!"

"Tackle!" ordered Zack. With that, the pair of rodents rammed into each other, appearing to be evenly matched.

"Itchy! Hyper Fang now!" called Axel.

"Rrrrattata!" screeched Itchy as he sank his fangs into his identical opponent. This proved too much for Zack's Rattata, however, who sank to the ground.

"Gah! Come back, Rattata!" snapped Zack. "Now, Eevee!" he cried out, throwing his fourth and final Poké Ball, unleashing the Eevee, who, while looking ready for battle, couldn't quite seem to look Axel in the eyes. Axel realized at this point that Eevee had still not forgiven itself for killing Flutters.

Axel hadn't even decided whether to let Itchy continue fighting or not, but the decision was very quickly made for him- a flash of light emerged from his belt as Needles let himself out of his ball, growling at the Eevee. Evidently, Eevee wasn't the only one who couldn't forgive Flutters's murderer, Axel realized. Without even waiting for orders, Needles lunged forward, delivering his most powerful Double Kick yet. Eevee squealed as the move hit a weak spot, and it made no effort to fight back.

"Riinooooh!" roared Needles, not satisfied with Eevee merely passing out.

"Hey! HEY!" Zack exclaimed as he hastened to withdraw his unconscious Eevee. "Take it easy! You won already!"

"Needles, he's right for once in his life," added Axel, ignoring the glare Zack was shooting him. "It's not what Flutters would've wanted you to do."

"Riii..." growled Needles. Deep down, he knew Axel was right, but there was just something so unsatisfying about how he would beat Eevee every time he tried to avenge his Metapod friend...

"Heh, guess what?" smirked Zack as Axel withdrew Needles. "I was just at Bill's house- he created the Pokémon storage system for the PC. And I got him to show me his rare Pokémon! It added a lot of pages to my Pokédex! And you're probably using his storage system, so you might wanna go thank him . Well, I'm outta here. Smell ya later!" And with that, he walked off. Once he was gone, Axel continued onward- he did like the idea of thanking Bill, but first, he had some training to do.


	12. Al That Glitters

Nugget Bridge quickly proved to be a snap. The first two Trainers, a Bug Catcher and a Lass, both used rather common Pokémon that didn't prove very challenging. The third one, a Youngster, was shaping up to be just as uneventful, until...

"Ozone, finish it! Quick Attack!" ordered Axel.

"Zubat, Leech Life!" called the Youngster, but it was too later- the Pidgey rammed into the Zubat, knocking it down onto the bridge. Trilling triumphantly, Ozone flew a celebratory loop-de-loop... and then proceeded to glow! Axel gasped as his Pidgey evolved before his eyes, and finally...

"Pidgeooooooooo!" screeched Ozone, now a magnificent and formidable Pidgeotto.

"Wow," sighed the Youngster. "Well, I did my best, I have no regrets," he added, gesturing past him, allowing Axel to pass.

The fourth Trainer, a Lass, also used some common and less-than-powerful Pokémon, that battle passed without incident. And then...

"OK! I'm number five! I'll stomp you!" exclaimed the Jr. Trainer as he threw a Poké Ball. "Mankey!" he shouted as the easily-irritated Fighting-type appeared.

"A Fighting-type, huh?" grinned Axel, as he threw a Poké Ball. "OK! Vlad, go for it!" he shouted as his Zubat appeared. "Supersonic!"

"Mankey, Low Kick!" ordered the Jr. Trainer. Immediately, the Mankey jumped up, deftly evading the sound waves, then swung its leg, swinging its foot right into the Zubat. However, as Axel knew would be the case, the Fighting move proved woefully ineffective.

"Heh, knew it," he smirked. "Poison and Flying beats Fighting! Vlad, Supersonic once more!"

"Karate Chop!" the Jr. Trainer called.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Mankey jumped up again... the sound waves passed harmlessly beneath it... Mankey raised a hand up, and brought it down in a powerful chopping motion... Vlad gave a surprised squeak... and the hand slammed into the Zubat's head, sending it plummeting straight to the ground. As the attack made contact, the resulting crack echoed all around.

Axel's eyes bulged in horror. His Zubat was lying on the bridge... perfectly still... not moving... bleeding. "No... No! NO!" he exclaimed. "Vlad, come back!" he called out, holding out the Zubat's Poké Ball, but to his horror, just as with Flutters, the ball had no effect. Axel may as well have been holding a laser pointer for all the good it did.

"Pi... Pika..." Battery gasped as the truth started to sink in. Vlad the Zubat, the team's invaluable guide through the mazelike Mt. Moon, their best line of defense against potent Poison attacks, their ace in the hole against Fighting-types... was lying dead on Nugget Bridge.

"Oh, man..." gasped the Jr. Trainer. "Oh... Oh, man... I... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"

Axel seemed to not hear the Jr. Trainer's apologies. He had run forward and scooped the Zubat's body into his arms, trying hard to not cry. And then, all the rest of Axel's Poké Balls opened. Sounds of shock and horror went up from Itchy, from Ozone, from Needles... and from Kraken. The Zubat had trained with the whole team, but especially with the Magikarp, the both of them being relative newcomers to the team back then, and having that in common.

"Karp, karp, KAAAAARP!" Kraken bellowed in anguish, flopping forward with formidable fury, and slamming into Mankey with all of his (admittedly subpar) might. In response, Mankey seethed in fury and delivered another Karate Chop. Kraken bounced hard against the bridge, but to everyone's relief, was still alive and conscious.

"Kraken, no!"Axel cried out, grabbing his Magikarp to prevent it from continuing on with its suicide mission. "I don't want to lose you, too!"

"Karp, karp... kaaaarp... kaaaarp..." Kraken shouted, his shouts eventually reducing themselves to sobs. And then, deciding that action had to be taken, Ozone flew in. Mankey was ready with another Karate Chop, but the Pidgeotto took the attack stubbornly, and then, not waiting for orders, flew in for a Quick Attack.

"Ozone! Sand Attack!" Axel called desperately. He knew he wasn't gonna talk her out of this, so he figured they could at least fight smart. Ozone flapped her wings, and managed to stir up some sawdust that had been shaved off of the wooden bridge as a result of all the fighting that had taken place on it.

After that, neither Trainer was even giving orders anymore. Mankey was running off of pure fury and rage, and Ozone just wanted to avenge Vlad's death. The Pidgeotto kept up the Quick Attacks, seemingly heedless of Mankey's Leers, not even reacting to Scratches, until finally she rammed into a weak spot, sending the Mankey tumbling backwards, coming to rest at its Trainer's feet.

"Oh..." sighed the Jr. Trainer as he withdrew Mankey. "I... I did my best... but I sure as hell have one regret," he murmured, with a glance at Vlad. "I'm so sorry..."

"I know..." Axel sighed, clutching the body of who was showing promise to become one of his more dependable teammates. "I... I know..."

Though he had technically beaten all five of the contest Trainers, Axel had no desire to claim his prize just yet. He took the rest of the day off from training, and that night, they dug a hole on the outskirts of town, and buried Vlad. They made sure the grave was dug within view of Mt. Moon, the Zubat's former home, as it only seemed fitting.

"Piikaaa..." Battery was sniveling.

"Pidgeooo..." Ozone added sadly.

"Rrrattata..."

"Kaaarp..."

"Riinoooh..."

"I know, guys," Axel sighed in response to his Pokémon's laments. "I... I miss him, too..."

"Bulba?" came a voice. Axel turned to look behind him, and saw a young woman walking up to him, a concerned look on her face. Walking beside her was a blue-green creature with a large plant bulb growing out of its back.

"Hi," the woman greeted Axel. "I'm Melanie, and this is Bulbasaur. We were out for a walk on the lookout for abandoned Pokémon, and we couldn't help but see this... what exactly-"

"My Zubat," Axel replied heavily. "It... Mankey... Karate Chop... I thought it could-"

Melanie nodded understandingly. "Critical hit," she murmured. "My condolences, I know how that feels... A couple of years ago, my Pidgey..." she broke off there, clearly not wanting to press the subject any further.

At that point, Battery broke down into quiet sobs, and Axel responded by pulling the Electric-type in for a comforting hug. Melanie observed this silently for a few moments before speaking up again. "What was your name again?" she asked.

"I never told you in the first place... but it's Axel," Axel replied. "This is Battery," he added, indicating the Pikachu. "And this is Ozone, this is Itchy, this is Needles, and this is Kraken. And this," he added, turning sadly to the roughly-carved tombstone that had been set up to mark the grave. "...this was Vlad. I don't think we'd have made it through Mt. Moon without him."

"Axel," Melanie said, "Here's the thing- I make it my duty to take in abandoned Pokémon and help them recover until they can return to the wild, or until I can find them loving Trainers. This Bulbasaur here, he's been with me for years now, I never could find a Trainer I'd feel like I could trust him with... but seeing how you are with your Pokémon, seeing how much you cared about Vlad, and how you're being a source of comfort to your Pokémon now... I think Bulbasaur would go well with your team."

"Wha- are you serious?" Axel said, looking up at Melanie. He climbed to his feet and dried his eyes. "I... Melanie, I'd love to have Bulbasaur, but... Vlad's not the first loss I've had," he admitted. "Back near Viridian City, my Metapod..."

"Accidents happen," interrupted Melanie. "What's important is that you love your Pokémon, that you care for them, that you do whatever you can to keep them happy and healthy."

"Saur! Bulbasaur!" nodded the Bulbasaur. Axel looked down- Bulbasaur was sitting at his feet, smiling up at him.

"Besides," Melanie smiled. "It looks like Bulbasaur's mind's been made up.

"Well, if that's what you want, Bulbasaur," Axel sighed, though with a smile as he knelt down. "Then welcome to the team... Ragweed."

"Pika!" Battery chimed in happily. The rest of the team also chimed in, all of them welcoming Ragweed to the team.


	13. Growing Like A Ragweed

The next day, Axel sought to get everybody's mind off of their troubles by getting Ragweed started with his training. He quickly proved to be a formidable contender, even moreso upon learning the Vine Whip technique- this move allowed Ragweed to start defeating wild Sandshrew in just one hit, normally a quite difficult feat for the rest of the team.

Eventually, Axel and Battery decided it was time to continue on back across Nugget Bridge. All five contest Trainers, the fifth one in particular, had their heads bowed in respect for the Zubat who had fallen during the campaign. As Axel neared the end of the bridge, he stopped in front of the Jr. Trainer, who was looking about ready to cry.

"Hey, look," Axel said. "I'd love to be able to blame what happened on someone. Anyone, really. But the fact of the matter is, it was a freak accident. Neither one of us knew that that Karate Chop would go like that. I can't beat myself up for not having foreseen this, and neither should you or your Mankey, OK?"

"...Alright," nodded the Jr. Trainer. "I... I'm so sorry!" he wailed, bursting into tears anyway. Axel sighed, but comforted the Jr. Trainer until he stopped crying, and continued on to the end of the bridge, where a man in a gray hoodie and black pants awaited him.

"Congratulations!" he said happily to Axel. "You beat our five contest Trainers! You've just earned a fabulous prize- a solid gold Nugget!" he declared, holding out a solid gold sphere, which Axel accepted. "By the way, I'd like to ask you something- how would you like to join Team Rocket?"

Axel blinked. "Say what now?" he replied.

"Yes, Team Rocket," smiled the man. "We're a group dedicated to using Pokémon for evil-"

"Yeah, I know that bit," interrupted Axel. "And the answer is no."

"Are you sure?" asked the man. "Come on, join us!"

"I don't give a Raticate's ass how many times you ask, the answer doesn't change," said Axel firmly. "No!"

"Pi ka!"nodded Battery.

Now the man narrowed his eyes."OK, now I'm telling you to join," he growled.

"And I'm telling you, nothing doing," retorted Axel.

"Alright, that tears it. You need convincing," stated the Rocket, a Poké Ball now in his hand. "I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse! Ekans!" he called out, throwing the ball.

"Ragweed! Leech Seed!"Axel shouted, also throwing a Poké Ball.

As the combatants materialized, Ragweed leapt into action, firing a single brown seed from the top of his bulb. As the seed struck the Poison-type, numerous thin roots snaked out of it, binding themselves around Ekans, draining its energy. In response, Ekans let fly a Poison Sting, which Ragweed shrugged off with ease.

"Now! Tackle!" ordered Axel.

"Bulbasaaaaur!" replied Ragweed as he charged forward, slamming into Ekans. The fight continued in this vein, with Ekans striking with woefully ineffective Poison Stings and Wraps, while Ragweed continued to deal damage with Tackle. All the while, Leech Seed kept draining Ekans's energy and giving some of that energy back to Ragweed, and finally, Ekans went limp.

"Come back, Ekans!" snapped the Rocket, already throwing another ball as Ekans was withdrawn. "Zubat!" he shouted as the Bat Pokémon appeared.

"Hold off, Ragweed!" Axel called out- he knew only too well what a Zubat could do to a Grass/Poison-type. Instead, he turned to his Pikachu. "Battery! Thunder Shock!" he ordered.

"Piiikaaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" responded Battery, his cheeks sparking as he fired a blast of lightning at the Zubat. Dazed but still ready to fight, Zubat swooped down on the Rocket's orders, executing a Leech Life. Battery responded to this with another Thunder Shock, and the Zubat fell.

"Arrgh!" grunted the Rocket. "You're good..."

"Yeah!" grinned Axel.

"Pika!" cheered Battery.

"Bulbasaur!" added Ragweed, just before he started to glow. Indeed, Axel and Battery did a double-take at that moment, for Ragweed had just started to evolve! The bulb sprouted before their very eyes, and when the glowing faded, Ragweed was no longer a Bulbasaur. "Ivy. Saur!" Ragweed exclaimed, having now evolved into an Ivysaur.

"Look, kid, with your ability, you could really go far in Team Rocket-" began the Rocket.

"Save it for somebody who cares," interrupted Axel, before walking off the bridge and onto solid land once more.

The first thing he noticed upon stepping off the bridge was a long, narrow stretch of long grass on the shore of the river, and the second thing he noticed was a bit of that grass rustling. And then, as Axel drew closer, a fluffy purple creature stepped out of it. "Veno nat," the creature said.

"Oh, cool, a Venonat," grinned Axel. "Ragweed, Tackle it!"

"Saur! Ivysaur!" nodded Ragweed, as he charged forward, ramming into the Venonat. In retaliation, Venonat's antennae vibrated, generating high-frequency sound waves, which caused Ragweed to stumble about in confusion.

"Come on, Ragweed!" encouraged Axel. "Tackle!"

Though Ragweed was still confused, the order still came through, and so he charged again, slamming into Venonat. This sent it tumbling backwards, and this time, it flailed about, struggling to right itself.

Axel saw the opportunity and went for it. "Go, Poké Ball!" he exclaimed, throwing a red-and-white sphere at the Bug/Poison-type. However, after sucking Venonat in, the ball wobbled for only a second before shattering into useless fragments, and Venonat re-emerged, back on its feet. Venonat's antennae vibrated again, but Ragweed was so confused already that the second Supersonic did nothing.

"Pika pika!" offered Battery, stepping forward. Axel nodded in response, but as he did so, Venonat's large red eyes flashed blue for a second. Then, Battery's eyes started to glow blue. Axel consulted his Pokédex, and saw a line through the words Thunder Shock when looking up Battery's moves.

"So, it knows Disable," Axel murmured. "Not a problem- Battery, Thunder Wave!"

"Pikaaaaa!" replied Battery, who unleashed a small yet effective electric jolt. Venonat struggled to move, but the paralysis proved to be too much.

"Now!" Axel exclaimed, launching another Poké Ball.

That ball, however, didn't work, and Venonat was able to use a rather weak Tackle attack. The next ball likewise proved fruitless, though Venonat's paralysis rendered it incapable of retaliation. Finally, the next Poké Ball Axel threw at the Venonat succeeded in catching it.

"Yes!" cheered Axel, as the ball containing Lisa the Venonat was transported to the PC storage system. And then, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Wow," came a voice from up on a small hill, just to the north, beyond where Route 24 became Route 25, according to the Town Map. Axel walked up the hill, where he spotted a Trainer close to his age. "Just saw you catch that Venonat- you're not bad."

"Thanks," grinned Axel. "I'm Axel, by the way- this is my Pikachu, Battery, and my Ivysaur, Ragweed.

"Pika pika!" Battery greeted the other Trainer.

"Ivysaur!" added Ragweed.

"Hello," smiled the Trainer. "My name's Damien. I'm a Trainer, too... but not a very good one," he admitted. "I... I actually came up here to release my Charmander because I haven't raised him too well," he admitted. "But... you know, after what I saw, if you promise to take good care of him, he's all yours," he added.

"Wha- but I couldn't possibly separate anyone from their Pokémon," protested Axel.

"If you don't take my Charmander, I'm going to release it," Damien said firmly. "No matter which way this goes, I can't continue to take care of him... I'm a failure as a Trainer, don't you get it? In fact, y'know what? Here," he said, forcing the Poké Ball into Axel's hand and storming off before Axel could protest. Axel looked at the ball in his hand before it vanished, transporting Norbert the Charmander to the PC.

"Pi...ka?" Battery said uncertainly.

"Uh... I guess... we just got a new friend, then," replied Axel, sounding just as uncertain. After that, rather than continue to dwell on it, Axel withdrew Ragweed, and he and Battery continued along Route 25, towards the Sea Cottage in the distance.


	14. See? Cottage!

Even past Nugget Bridge, the road to Bill's house was littered with Trainers. Youngsters, Jr. Trainers, Hikers, and the like, all more than willing to show off their Pokémon's skills. And in every single case, Axel and his Pokémon emerged victorious over them all. At long last, they made it to the house at the end of Route 25. Axel knocked on the door, but heard nothing. After waiting a few minutes, he knocked again... and the door creaked open, propelled by Axel's knocking.

Slowly, Axel opened the door, and ventured inside. There were two large machines in the back, connected by a number of tubes. There was a PC on the left side of the room, and on the right side... a Clefairy? Battery ran up to the Clefairy curously. "Pika pika, Pikachu?" he said inquisitively.

The Clefairy turned around and looked up at Axel. "Hiya! I'm a Pokémon... no, I'm not!" he said.

"WAH!" exclaimed Axel. "What- what the-"

"Call me Bill, said the "Clefairy" (for lack of a better word). "I'm a true-blue Pokémaniac! Hey, what's with that skeptical look?" he added, for indeed, Axel raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He had heard that Bill was a Pokémaniac, all right, but this seemed a bit much! "Look, I'm not joshing you- I screwed up an experiment and got combined with a Pokémon!" he said. "So, how about helping me out here?"

"I... guess so," Axel said skeptically. "But how-"

"It's easy," replied Bill. "I go in this teleportation chamber here, and you activate the Cell Separation System on my computer. That should do it. OK? It's very simple, I have it set up so all you gotta do is click that one button."

"...OK, then," nodded Axel. Bill walked in through the door to the chamber on the right of the room (Battery followed Bill curiously, trying to see through the door as Bill closed it behind him), as Axel approached the computer. He didn't understand half of what was on the screen, but what he did understand was a button marked "Activate Cell Separation System". He clicked that, and the machine roared to life. Beeping sounds were heard, whooshing sounds came from the tubes connecting the chambers, and the other chamber door opened up, allowing a young man with curly brown hair to step out.

"Pi Pikachu!?" Battery exclaimed, shocked at this- whatever he had expected to happen, this certainly wasn't it.

"Yeehaw!" Bill exclaimed happily as he stretched his arms and walked over to Axel. "Thanks, bud! I owe you one! So, did you come to see my Pokémon collection?"

"Not so much," admitted Axel. "More to just thank you for the PC storage system, I'm making good use of it."

"Heh, appreciate that," grinned Bill. "Still, kind of a bummer you didn't come to see my Pokémon... There's gotta be some way I can thank you- oh! Here, maybe this'll do," he added, producing a strip of cardboard from his shirt pocket and handing it to Axel. "It's a ticket for the cruise ship, the S.S. Anne, in Vermilion City. Its passengers are all Trainers. I was invited to their party, but I can't stand fancy do's. So you go on, go and have a good time!"

"Heh, thanks, Bill," smiled Axel. "C'mon, Battery," he added.

Battery was still looking back and forth between the teleportation chambers, still trying to process what had happened. "Pika pika, Pikachu?" he muttered.

"Battery, c'mon!" called Axel. This got the Pikachu's attention, and together they exited Bill's house. The S.S. Anne sounded like fun, but right now, Axel's next stop? The Cerulean City Gym!

Thanks to a side path Bill pointed out, they were able to get back to Cerulean with little trouble, and one Pokémon Center stay later, Axel pushed open the door and entered the Cerulean Gym.

The floor was hardwood... at least what little floor was above water. The majority of the Gym was composed of an indoor pool. A narrow tiled path ran around the perimeter of the Gym, but walking across the hardwood platforms seemed to be the way to get to Misty. Seeing an opportunity to let one of his Pokémon get some exercise, Axel opened up one of his Poké Balls, unleashing his Magikarp into the water. "Alright, Kraken, get some exercise, OK?" he said.

"Karp karp!" Kraken replied before starting to slowly and leisurely swim around the pool.

As Axel started forward, a Swimmer swam up to him. "I'm first up! Let's do it! Horsea!" he declared. While treading water, he managed to unleash a small blue Pokémon from a Poké Ball.

"Go! Itchy!" called Axel, throwing his Rattata's Poké Ball. The Rattata landed on the wood platform, though jumped into the pool and started to swim with remarkable adeptness. "Use Hyper Fang!"

"Bubble!" ordered the Swimmer. The Rattata swam towards Horsea and took a big bite, but Horsea recovered, and sprayed a powerful jet of foam out of its snout. Itchy hissed, but took the attack well.

"Now! Quick Attack!" ordered Axel. Swimming at high speeds, Itchy swam right into Horsea, who started to bob on the surface of the water, showing a distinct disinclination to continue fighting.

"Come back, Horsea! Go, Shellder!" said the Swimmer as he withdrew his Horsea and sent out something concealed within a small purple shell, who landed on the wood platform. Only its eyes and tongue were visible.

"Itchy, come back!" said Axel, withdrawing his Rattata before throwing another ball. "Needles! Horn Attack!" he added, his Nidorino materializing on the platform.

"Riiinoooh!" roared Needles, charging forward and jabbing at Shellder with his horn.

"Shellder! Tackle!" called the Swimmer.

"Shelldeeeeer!" squealed Shellder. Though the Horn Attack sent it flying into the wall, Shellder closed its shell tight just before impact, then opened it wide to bounce off the wall and fly back at the Nidorino, striking it hard. The battle continued on, with Needles's Horn Attack constantly going up against Shellder's Tackle, until the latter finally gave up and fell into the water.

"Wha- that can't be!" the Swimmer exclaimed. "Y'know, Misty, our Gym Leader, she's just gonna keep on improving. She won't lose to someone like you!"

"Uh-huh," nodded Axel, rolling his eyes. He continued to navigate the platforms, until he was almost near the back, where there stood a cute redheaded teenage girl in a swimsuit. He supposed this was Misty, but before he could get to her, a Jr. Trainer barred his way.

"I'm more than good enough for you!" she declared. "Misty can wait! Go, Goldeen!" she shouted, throwing a Poké Ball.

"Needles!" exclaimed Axel, and the Nidorino, who was still out of his Poké Ball, charged forward to meet the Goldeen head-on with his horn. Goldeen was sent flying into a wall as the Horn Attack hit a weak spot, and slumped into the water.

"Riinoooh!" Needles grunted triumphantly.

"Aah! Goldeen!" whined the Jr. Trainer as she withdrew her Water-type. "You overwhelmed me!" She stepped back, however, allowing Misty to come face to face with Axel.

"Hi, you're a new face around here," smiled Misty. "What's your policy when it comes to Pokémon, your approach to training?"

"Well, I, uh..." Axel responded- he never really thought about having a policy on Pokémon training before.

Misty's smile grew. "Well, you'll work that out eventually. In the meantime, Misty, the world-famous beauty, is your host. And my policy... is an all-out offensive with Water-type Pokémon!" she exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball into the air.


	15. Making A Splash In Cerulean Gym

"Misty calls Staryu!" Misty exclaimed as her Poké Ball split open, unleashing a star-shaped brown Pokémon. It stood on its two bottom points like legs on the wooden platform, and a spherical ruby was set in the center of its body.

"Go! Ragweed!" exclaimed Axel, throwing his Ivysaur's ball. "Vine Whip!"

"Saur! Ivysaur!" responded Ragweed. Immediately, a pair of vines snaked out from under the Ivysaur's leaves and slapped Staryu around.

"Staryu! Tackle attack!" ordered Misty.

"Hyah!" responded Staryu. It lunged forward and rammed into Ragweed.

"Vine Whip!" called Axel.

"Tackle!" Misty shouted.

Again, the combatants went at each other, and though Staryu's Tackle pushed Ragweed back a little bit, the Ivysaur's vines struck again. And this time, as Staryu crashed onto the platform, its ruby started to blink with red light.

"Come back, Staryu!" Misty exclaimed, holding out the ball which was calling back its occupant. Then, she threw another ball. "Misty calls Starmie!" she shouted. Starmie, Axel realized, must be the evolved form of Staryu- it looked basically like two Staryu had been painted purple and stuck together, and its ruby wasn't as perfectly round as Staryu's.

"We got this, Ragweed!" said Axel. "Leech Seed!"

"Tackle!" ordered Misty. Starmie rushed forward and rammed Ragweed, but got stuck with a Leech Seed nonetheless. Axel grinned- he had a good feeling about this battle.

"Now! Use Vine Whip!" he ordered.

"Starmie! Harden!" called Misty.

Starmie stood perfectly still, its body seeming to gleam in the light, but as Ragweed slammed its vines into the Water/Psychic-type, it seemed to not make a difference. However, Starmie recovered very quickly from the move.

"Again! Vine Whip!" ordered Axel.

The battle continued on in that vein for a minute, except Starmie eventually abandoned its attempts to use Harden, in an effort to instead use Tackle, except Ragweed was able to evade it, and finish Starmie off with a final Vine Whip.

"I can't believe I lost!" Misty exclaimed, withdrawing her Starmie as the Leech Seed fell away from it. But, OK! You get this, the Cascade Badge, to prove that you beat me!" As she said this, she approached Axel and handed him a badge that resembled a drop of water.

"Wow!" Axel grinned. "The Cascade Badge!"

Misty smiled. "With the Cascade Badge, your Pokémon are now authorized to use Cut outside of battle if they know the move. And here- here's my favorite TM," she added, handing a dark blue disc to Axel. "It teaches Bubble Beam- use it on an aquatic Pokémon!"

"Thanks," grinned Axel. He exited the Gym soon afterwards, intent on resting at the Pokémon Center before heading on out again.

After a brief stay at the Pokémon Center, whereupon all his Pokémon were deemed to be fighting fit, Axel stepped outside again, this time to look for a way out of town that didn't lead to Mt. Moon or Nugget Bridge. Instead, he came across a house where a policewoman stood. The door was ajar and a window was broken. Curious, Axel approached.

"Excuse me," he said to the cop. "What happened here?"

The policewoman shook her head. "These poor people here were robbed," she sighed. "We're positive it was Team Rocket's doing... Even our police force has trouble with the Rockets."

"Yeesh," sighed Axel. He knocked on the door, and a man opened it up.

"Hello?" he said cautiously.

"Hey, I heard about what happened," Axel said. "I'm Axel, I'm a Pokémon Trainer, and this is Battery, my partner."

"Pika pika," added Battery, poking his head through the door.

"So... is there anything I can do?" asked Axel.

"Only if you can get me back the TM that miserable Rocket stole from me," the man sighed, leading the way through his house. The place was a mess- a potted plant was knocked over, dirty footprints were everywhere, a table had a chunk broken off, books were flung everywhere, and worst of all, a big-gaping hole had been smashed through the back wall of the house. "That thing's good for teaching Dig! It cost me a bundle! The lowlife had to have escaped through that hole," he added, gesturing to the gaping hole in the back of his house. "So if you find him..."

Axel nodded. "Got it," he stated. He strode through the house, exiting through the large hole in the wall, and glancing around the backyard. Very quickly, he spotted a man dressed in black, skulking around, sneaking off towards what appeared to be an exit. "Hey, you!" Axel exclaimed, running towards the Rocket.

"Hey!" the Rocket exclaimed back. "Stay out! It's not your yard!"

"It's not yours, either," retorted Axel.

"Pika pika!" snarled Battery, his cheeks crackling with electricity.

"Wha- me?" the Rocket responded. "But- I'm just- I'm an innocent bystander! Don't you believe me?"

"No!" Axel snapped.

The Rocket scowled. "Yeah, didn't think that'd work." he admitted. And then, in the blink of an eye, he threw a Poké Ball. "Machop!" he called out.

"Itchy!"cried Axel, throwing a Poké Ball as well. The Rattata appeared, glaring up at the muscle-bound Machop, before Axel realized his mistake. "Itchy, come back!" he exclaimed, holding out the ball. "Ozone!" he added, throwing a ball which unleashed the Pidgeotto.

"Machop! Karate Chop!" roared the Rocket.

"Ozone, Sand Attack!" called Axel.

"Pidgeooooo!" trilled Ozone, after recovering from the Machop's powerful chop. She flapped her wings, kicking up dust and dirt which got into the Machop's eyes. The blinded Fighting-type tried another Karate Chop, but missed.

"Now! Quick Attack!" commanded Axel.

"Pidgeooooooooo!" Pidgeotto screeched, diving down and ramming into Machop. This continued on for about a minute, Pidgeotto continually ramming into Machop, and Machop too busy trying to clear the grit out of its eyes to fight back.

"Come back, Machop!" growled the Rocket, before throwing another ball. "Drowzee!" he roared.

"Take a rest, Ozone!" Axel called, withdrawing his Pidgeotto. Then, he threw the same ball from before. "Itchy! Hyper Fang!" he ordered.

"Drowzee! Pound!" the Rocket ordered the yellow, human-shaped Psychic-type. As the Rattata sank his fangs into Drowzee, it threw a punch in retaliation. Not a strong one, but it dislodged Itchy's fangs nonetheless. In retaliation, Itchy went for another Hyper Fang, and Drowzee collapsed to the ground.

"Gah!" the Rocket exclaimed as he withdrew Drowzee. "Alright, stop! I give! I'll leave quietly! Here, here's the TM I stole!" he added, tossing a brown disc to Axel, who managed to catch it. "I'm outta here!" the Rocket added, fleeing off into the distance before Axel could react.

Axel sighed- he had hoped to give the cop out front a chance to deal with the Rocket, but at least he could give the man back his TM28.

"...You got it back for me?" the man grinned as Axel presented him the TM. "Gee, thanks, kid! But you know something? Honesty like that is a rare thing in this day and age. Truth be told, I half expected you to make off with the TM if you managed get it back. I... guess I had you all wrong," he added sheepishly. "But anyway, yeah- I want you to keep the TM."

"Wait, seriously?" asked Axel.

The man nodded. "Seriously," he confirmed. "Besides, I only bought it to teach to my Diglett, and just the other day I learned that it learns Dig naturally anyway, so I didn't need to buy the TM after all. You can probably make better use of it than I can."

"Well, when you put it that way... thanks," grinned Axel.

"No problem, it's the least I can do," replied the man. "And hey, if you're headed for Vermilion or Saffron City, you can go right through here," he offered, gesturing to the hole. "It's not that far a walk from our backyard, and I think some weird tree's started growing over the other exit anyway."

"Oh, OK," nodded Axel. "Thanks!" With that, he and Battery made their way back out through the large hole, and proceeded to head their way south, towards Vermilion City.


	16. Evolutionary New Ideas

Axel's eyes widened- he was on Route 5, a short, hilly route stretching between Cerulean City and Saffron City, and a small yellow Pokémon was currently hovering above the tall grass, eyes shut, snoring lightly. It was, he knew, an Abra, and he had heard horror stories of its tendency to Teleport away from battle at the first opportunity. He had one shot at this.

"OK!" Axel whispered, hurling a red-and-white sphere at the slumbering Abra. "Go, Poké Ball!"

The ball struck Abra and sucked it inside, and fell to the ground where it shook back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... and fell still.

"Yes!" Axel cheered. "I just caught an Abra!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Battery chimed in. As they celebrated this newest catch, the Poké Ball vanished into thin air and was transported to the PC storage system, along with its occupant, Houdini the Abra. Following this, Axel hopped down the rest of the ledges on the hilly route, completely ignoring the small building at the foot of said hill, instead focused on the much larger one before him- he could see tall buildings just beyond it, and according to his Town Map, he was but a stone's throw away from Saffron City. Eagerly, Axel and Battery raced in through the open doorway... and re-emerged the way they came not a minute later, now fuming mad.

"Sheesh!" Axel grumbled, leading the way to a small shack nearby. Sure enough, as he had been told, a staircase within led into an underground tunnel. "That guy has got some nerve, closing the road just because he's thirsty! What the hell is stopping him from getting up off his fat ass and getting something to drink instead of taking it out on anyone what that tries to come through?"

"Pika Pikachu!" Battery nodded, in vehement agreement.

"At least we're headed to Vermilion anyway," said Axel, as another staircase came into view. "Thank Mew for this underground path..." With that, he and Battery climbed the staircase and exited the shack they had arrived in.

Before them lay a wide open field, tall grass growing in such a way as to create a winding, twisting path. There was also a small pool of water to navigate around, which, as Axel could see, led into the ocean. Indeed, the ocean seemed to almost surround the city in the distance, and if he squinted and looked in just the right place, Axel could even swear that he could see a ship docked in a harbor. The S.S. Anne? Only one way to find out, he figured.

Of course, the rest of the trek wasn't to be quite so easy as the first half was- Axel could also see several Trainers standing around, as though awaiting potential challengers. But first and foremost, the tall grass that grew closest to Axel was starting to rustle. Axel braced himself, prepared for the worst, for some hulking huge beast with sharp claws and a mouth lined with vicious fangs... And then, in stark contrast to this horrifying mental imagery, a small pink sphere with stubby arms and legs bounded out of the grass. Its face bore an adorable smile, and its round eyes were huge.

Axel recognized the species- he had battled one or two of them before, but under the ownership of opposing Trainers- this specimen was the first of its kind he had ever seen in the wild. "A Jigglypuff!" he breathed, before turning to his electrically charged companion. "Battery, go!" he said.

"Pika!" exclaimed Battery, charging forward. He faced the Jigglypuff, cheeks sparking menacingly.

"Battery! Thunder Wave!" ordered Axel.

"Pikaaaaaa!" replied Battery, shocking Jigglypuff with a weak electrical jolt- not enough to cause damage, but sufficient to paralyze the Normal-type. In retaliation, the Jigglypuff took a deep breath, and... began to sing. Almost immediately, Battery clapped his front paws over his ears, and managed to block out the Sing attack.

"Now! Go, Poké Ball!" Axel shouted, launching a red-and-white sphere at the Jigglypuff.

Jigglypuff, however, broke free of the ball with little effort. However, when it attempted to Sing again, the paralysis got in the way. Seeing an opening, Axel launched another Poké Ball, which likewise failed. Jigglypuff managed to Sing this time, but Battery covered his ears once more. After this, Axel tried a third Poké Ball... and the third time was indeed the charm.

"Yes!" cheered Axel. "I just caught a Jigglypuff!"

"Pi Pikachu!" chimed in Battery, as the Poké Ball containing Pillow the Jigglypuff was transported to the PC storage system.

"Hey, that was cool!" came a voice. Axel turned to see a Bug Catcher approaching him. "It's a shame there aren't many bugs out here, though... but your Pokémon looked awesome! Let's fight!" he added, throwing a Poké Ball. "Weedle!"

"Go! Itchy!" Axel cried out, tossing his Rattata's Poké Ball.

The fight that followed was an easy one- Itchy's Hyper Fang made short work of the Bug Catcher's Weedle, as well as the Caterpie that followed. The Bug Catcher then sent out a second Weedle...

"Use Poison Sting!" called the Bug Catcher.

"Hyper Fang!" commanded Axel.

Weedle lowered its head, aiming its stinger at Itchy, but the Rattata was quicker- it raced over to the Weedle and sank its prominent front teeth into the Bug/Poison-type.

"Weeeedle..." groaned the Hairy Bug Pokémon as it slumped to the ground.

"Ugh... Come back, Weedle!" sighed the Bug Catcher, holding out the ball to withdraw his creepy-crawly combatant. "You beat all my bugs? No way! You're kidding! I- WHOA!" he exclaimed, for all of a sudden, a bright glow came over the Rattata's body- Itchy was evolving! Axel smiled happily as the glow faded, revealing a light brown rodent with even bigger teeth than before.

"Rrrrraticate!" hissed Itchy triumphantly.

"Itchy, that's awesome! Way to go!" cheered Axel.

"Pika pika!" Battery added happily.

Soon afterwards, they came across a pair of Jr. Trainers, one boy and one girl. They both challenged Axel to a Pokémon fight, but the boy went first, sending out a Weepinbell. Axel responded by sending in Ozone, and the Pidgeotto made quick work of the Grass/Poison-type. She did, however, breathe in the Weepinbell's Poison Powder, which forced Axel to dig out his only Antidote and use it on the Normal/Flying-type.

"My turn next," smirked the female Jr. Trainer, throwing a Poké Ball. "Go, Cubone!"

"Cubone, huh?" murmured Axel, eyeing the brown Pokémon that seemed to be wearing a skull as some kind of ill-fitting headgear. "Alright..."

But before he could reach for a ball, one of them opened up of its own accord, and Needles materialized. "Riinooh!" he growled.

"Needles?!" Axel exclaimed. "You're at a disadvantage, what are you doing?"

"Riinooh! Riinooh!" grunted Needles, stomping the ground excitedly. Then, without waiting for orders, he charged forward, ramming Cubone with a Horn Attack.

"Pfft, talk about a bad type matchup," giggled the Jr. Trainer. "Cubone, Growl!"

"Booooooooone!" wailed the Cubone, its cries echoing from within its skull. The Nidorino shivered upon hearing the eerie wailing.

Axel, however, shook his head. "Come back, Needles!" he said firmly, withdrawing his Nidorino, before throwing another ball. "Ragweed! Vine Whip!"

"Headbutt!" ordered the Jr. Trainer.

But the Ivysaur's Vine Whip overpowered Cubone thoroughly, knocking it out in a single blow. Axel happily accepted his prize money and congratulated Ragweed, but still looked distracted.

"Pika?" Battery asked his Trainer upon noticing this.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," replied Axel. "It's just, I wonder why Needles wanted to jump right into battle like that... I mean, I'm sure he wants to get stronger, but that's hardly the smartest way to do it... Maybe he's... still upset about... about Flutters," he added quietly. "And then we lost Vlad..."

"Pikachu..." sighed Battery, his ears drooping at the mention of his former teammates.

"...It makes sense, yeah," Axel realized. "Needles wants to get stronger so he doesn't end up like them, that's why he was so eager to fight back there. But he's got to learn to fight smart. Needles, come out," he added, holding up the Nidorino's Poké Ball.

"Riinooh?" growled Needles questioningly as he emerged from his ball.

Axel knelt down next to him. "I get it, Needles," he said. "You don't want to end up like Vlad did, or... y'know, like-"

"Rii, riinooh," interrupted the Nidorino, nodding, with tears starting to form in his eyes. Flutters's name didn't even need to be said here.

"Right," nodded Axel. "But see, Needles, jumping in when you're at a disadvantage like that, that's exactly how that kinda thing can happen to you. And even then, a type advantage doesn't mean you're safe, either. In fact, y'know what?" he added, on a sudden inspiration as he dug into his backpack. "Needles, I want you take this," he stated, digging a glassy black rock out of his backpack. "It's one of those Moon Stones we found in Mt. Moon. I'm thinking you can keep it with you to remind you of Vlad, to remind you that even a Poison and Flying-type can be killed by a Fighting-type under the right circumstances, y'know? Remind you to be careful.

"Riii..." murmured Needles, looking at the stone. Finally, he nodded, and Axel placed the stone on the ground near Needles. The Nidorino pawed at the rock... and both it and he began to glow! Axel hastily stepped back as Needles reared up, as his spikes lengthened, as a thick, powerful tail sprouted from his backside. And then, the glowing faded as the evolution process was complete. "NIIIIDOOOOH!" roared Needles.

"...So, Nidorino is one of the Pokémon the Moon Stone can evolve!" Axel exclaimed. "Wow! Well, Needles, congratulations!" Needles roared happily in response.

The rest of the journey went without incident. A Bug Catcher's Butterfree held its own impressively against Ozone with techniques such as Stun Spore and Supersonic, but the Pidgeotto prevailed in the end; Another Jr. Trainer tried using her trio of Pidgey against Axel, but Battery's Thunder Shock took care of them, as well as the Spearow that a male Jr. Trainer sent in. After that, each of them used their Raticate against each other, with Itchy deftly dodging the opposing Hyper Fang before striking hard with his own. One Quick Attack later, and a victor was decided. And then, at long last, they came to Vermilion City.


	17. Underground Activities

Axel and Battery were wandering around Vermilion City, taking in the sights after a brief stay at the Pokémon Center to rest and recuperate. However, they weren't merely sightseeing- they were on a mission. Axel overheard a few things at the Pokémon Center- that Vermilion City also played host to a Pokémon Gym, that its leader specialized in Electric-types, and that while he only used one Pokémon, that one Pokémon had a reputation for power and cruelty. Fortunately, he also heard a rather convenient tidbit- the nearby underground cave that stretched from Vermilion to Pewter was home to a fast and powerful variety of Ground-type Pokémon. And Axel, having had a Pikachu by his side since the beginning of his journey, knew very well, perhaps better than most, that Ground Pokémon had a major advantage over Electric-types. Therefore, it was Diglett's Cave that was their next stop.

"Alright, Battery, keep an eye out," Axel stated as they reached the bottom of the ladder, which led them from the small cavern up above to a long, winding underground tunnel. "There could be Diglett anywhere in this-"

"Pika!" interrupted Battery, pointing behind Axel. He wheeled around, and sure enough, a small brown Pokémon was poking up out of the ground.

"Diglett dig," it said.

"There's one!" exclaimed Axel, throwing a Poké Ball. "Ozone! Gust!"

"Pidgeoooooo!" trilled Ozone, flapping her wings. Diglett, however, made the first move, and charged forward. Somehow, as it neared the Pidgeotto, the Normal/Flying-type squawked and dropped nearly a foot in midair, as though Scratched by some unseen force.

"Man, how does it do that?" muttered Axel, as Ozone flapped her wings fiercely. Diglett was blown backwards (though still not emerging from the ground any further than what was already visible to begin with), right into a cave wall. Seeing his chance, Axel threw a Poké Ball at the Diglett. It fell to the ground after sucking Diglett inside and shook back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... and fell still.

"Yes!" cheered Axel. "I caught a Diglett!"

"Pi Pikachu!" added Battery as Shovel the Diglett was transported to the PC.

And then, just as they exited the cave, a rustling sound off to the left caught Axel's attention- Diglett's Cave wasn't located directly in Vermilion City, but rather on nearby Route 11, and not too far from some tall grass. And right now, a human-shaped yellow creature was walking out of the grass.

"A wild Drowzee!" Axel exclaimed, before turning to his Pidgeotto. "Ozone, Quick Attack!"

"Pidgeooooo!" screeched Ozone as she zoomed forward, smashing into the Psychic-type. Though the attack proved effective, Drowzee retaliated by locking eyes with Ozone.

"Drowzeee... Drowzeee..." chanted Drowzee, its voice echoing eerily. In response, the Pidgeotto slumped to the ground and started snoring- Drowzee had used Hypnosis.

"Aw, come on!" groaned Axel. "Ozone, wake up! Use Gust!"

Unfortunately, his numerous attempts to awaken Ozone proved fruitless, as Drowzee peppered the Pidgeotto with Pound attacks. "Drow! Zee! Drow!" it exclaimed, punctuating each syllable with another blow.

"Gaaahh- go, Poké Ball!" Axel snapped, throwing a ball at the Drowzee out of sheer frustration. To his mild surprise, Drowzee's attempts to escape the ball failed miserably. As Remy the Drowzee was sent to the PC, Axel withdrew Ozone and retreated to the Pokémon Center.

Axel gave it a lot of thought, but in the end, he couldn't think of a way to fit Shovel into his team. He was not in any way inclined to deposit any of his current six Pokémon into the PC. Moreover, he reasoned that Needles's recent evolution, which granted him an additional Ground typing, would give him an edge in the fights to come. In the meantime, he recalled seeing a number of Trainers on Route 11 as he was catching Remy, so he and Battery headed back there to train.

Sure enough, there were Trainers all over Route 11. Youngsters and Gamblers and Engineers- oh my! These battles proved to be rather uneventful, save for one...

"Come back, Battery!" Axel exclaimed, calling back his heavily injured Pikachu before the Engineer's Magnemite could do any further harm. Battery was only too glad to come limping back, eager to escape the Magnemite's powerful Tackles, especially since its newly-learned Slam kept missing its mark. "Geez... This thing is tough..." he muttered. "What- WHA?!" he exclaimed, as a Poké Ball burst open on his belt, unleashing Kraken. The Magikarp looked even more agitated and energetic than usual upon seeing just how injured Battery was. Without even waiting for orders, it jumped up into Axel's backpack, wriggling around until it came across two pieces of candy in bright blue wrappers, placed right next to a blue disc...

"Kraken, what are you- WHOA!" Axel exclaimed, for just as he placed his backpack on the ground, a powerful glow emitted from it. Kraken jumped out of the backpack, the blue disc trapped on one of its fins as it grew drastically. Axel could only watch in awe as his Magikarp evolved before his eyes, and once the glowing stopped, the Technical Machine on his fin was absorbed into the new Gyarados's body.

"Wait- Magikarp evolves into Gyarados?!" the Engineer exclaimed. "I wish I'd known that when I was at Mt. Moon! This shady guy tried to sell me a Magikarp, I figured he was ripping me off! OK, so, who are you using next?"

In response, Axel pointed at the Gyarados beside him. "Him. This guy," he said at once. Consulting his Pokédex quickly, he was able to not only tell that Kraken learned Bite upon evolving, but that he also learned another move from that TM. "Kraken! Bubble Beam!" he ordered.

Kraken responded with a shrieking roar as a powerful jet of foam and bubbles was expelled from his gaping jaws. Magnemite was, for a moment, completely lost within the powerful attack. And then, once the attack ceased, Magnemite fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Way to go, Kraken!" exclaimed Axel.

"Pikachu!" added Battery, sounding enthralled for his teammate's evolution- Battery always knew Kraken would eventually make something of himself, and a Gyarados definitely counted as something. Kraken roared in response to this praise, but it was a decidedly happy sort of roar.


	18. The Battle Of The Bilge

Once the training on Route 11 concluded, so had the day. Axel and his Pokémon stayed the night at the Pokémon Center, but made sure to get up early the next day- the S.S. Anne was scheduled to set sail that afternoon, so they needed to board her as quickly as possible if they wanted to get anything done on board that day!

Axel gasped- the ship looked even larger in person. He didn't even take his eyes off it as he flashed the S.S. Ticket to the Sailor who asked to see it, and only once he was actually on board did he actually stop looking at the ship. Instead, he started to wander around, and as he descended a flight of stairs, Battery's ears perked up. "Pika?" he muttered before racing ahead of Axel. Axel raced to catch up to the Pikachu, only to discover that Battery had discovered a piece of food someone had dropped on the floor. And then, a door nearby swung open. Axel looked- a Fisherman stood in the doorway, complete with a Good Rod slung over his shoulder.

"Hello, stranger! Stop and chat," smirked the Fsherman, brandishing a Poké Ball. "All my Pokémon are from the sea!" And he threw the ball. "Tentacool!" he exclaimed, as a small jellyfish materialized, standing on its two tentacles like a pair of makeshift legs.

Recognizing the fact that a Pokémon fight was imminent, Axel threw the ball containing Needles, sending his Nidoking out into the corridor. "Needles! Horn Attack!" he shouted.

The battle was a quick one- despite Tentacool's Supersonic landing, Needles managed to take out the Water/Poison-type with no problem, after which Kraken was only too glad to deal with the Fisherman's Staryu and Shellder. Following this, a Sailor challenged Axel, threatening to make him walk the plank if he lost. This, of course, did not happen, as his Machop couldn't stand up to Kraken's Bubble Beam.

This battle caught the attention of the residents of the other rooms in that hallway- a bunch of battle-hungry Sailors who were all eager to challenge Axel upon seeing his skills. Kraken and Ragweed were able to handle them by themselves, though Battery was ever ready to jump in at any time. Finally, all the Sailors on the lower level were defeated, leaving Axel free to heal up his Pokémon back at the Pokémon Center. As he re-boarded the ship, he found a number of Trainers ready to challenge him in the corridor, and this time, it was Ozone and Needles who took them on. Meanwhile, Axel discovered a number of discarded items littering the hall, but taking note of how full his backpack was becoming, decided it was high time he found use for some of his Technical Machines...

Following this, they briefly visited the kitchens, where none of the cooks were willing to battle, but one pointed out to Axel a Great Ball someone had thrown away for some reason. Axel was reluctant to take the slightly smelly sphere (it had been in the garbage, after all), but the cook cleaned it off to the point where it was actually bearable. And after that, Axel and Battery stepped out on deck near the bow, where yet another pair of Sailors challenged them. This time the fights proved a bit challenging, as one of them used a Machop that was dealing heavy damage to Ragweed, but eventually, with the help of a lot of Potions, the Ivysaur prevailed.

Axel sighed as he and Battery proceeded back inside- they were staring down a corridor they had yet to explore, and it seems that word of the presence of a powerful Trainer on board had somehow reached these folks as well, for they were exiting their cabins in order to challenge him. "Again?" he muttered somewhat wearily. "Well, Battery, you know what to do," he added, as a Fisherman sent out a Goldeen.

Battery nodded. "Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" he responded, blasting Goldeen with Thunder Shock.

"Come back, Goldeen!" exclaimed the Fisherman, already throwing another ball as he withdrew his unconscious Goldeen. "Tentacool!" he added, as the Jellyfish Pokémon emerged.

"Battery! Body Slam!" ordered Axel.

"Chuuuu... PIKA!" exclaimed Battery as he jumped up and allowed his full body weight to crash down on Tentacool. The impact was so significant that Tentacool was finding it hard to move.

"Tenta... Cool..." it groaned.

"Use Supersonic!" ordered the Fisherman. And despite the paralysis, Tentacool unleashed a volley of sound waves, and though Battery tried to cover his ears, he wound up stumbling around.

"Come on, Battery!" coaxed Axel. "Thunder Shock!"

"Pii... Piii... Chaaaa!" mumbled Battery, as he merely rammed his head into a nearby wall.

"Tentacool! Acid, let's go!" grinned the Fisherman.

"Battery!" Axel exclaimed, cringing- his Pikachu shrieked in pain as the corrosive fluid splashed onto it. "Come on, snap out of it! Use Thunder Shock!"

"Piii... Kaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" Battery exclaimed suddenly, shaking his head as though to clear it before blasting Tentacool with electricity. Axel sighed in relief as Tentacool fell to the floor.

"Come back, Tentacool!" called the Fisherman, as he proceeded to send out... a second Goldeen.

"Battery! Thunder Shock!" grinned Axel.

Now having completely shaken off the confusion, Battery grinned back, his cheeks sparking. "Piiikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" he exclaimed, unleashing yet another electric blast. This one seemed to strike a weak spot, as Goldeen passed out on the spot. The Fisherman grudgingly admitted to not having any more Pokémon as he paid out the prize money to Axel.

The battles that followed were decidedly less eventful, with Battery and Kraken taking out the opposition with ease. But then, as Axel came to a corner and turned left, he saw a familiar figure descending a flight of stairs.

"Bonjour, Axel!"


	19. Leaving Behind The Rattata Race

"Oh, no," groaned Axel.

"Pikaaaa..." growled Battery, his cheeks sparking threateningly.

"Heh, imagine seeing you here," smirked Zack. "Hey- Axel, you were invited, weren't you?"

"Were you?" retorted Axel.

"So, how's your Pokédex coming?" Zack asked, hastening to change the subject.

"It's going alright, I suppose-" began Axel.

"Yeah, right, I can just imagine," smirked Zack. "I already caught 40 kinds, pal!"

"Wha- 40?!" Axel exclaimed.

"Yep," said Zack. "Different kinds are everywhere- you gotta crawl around in grassy areas! Now, then, let's see how good you've gotten! Spearow!" he called out, throwing a Poké Ball.

"Battery, Thunder Shock!" ordered Axel, almost before the Spearow had fully materialized from its Poké Ball.

"Piiikaaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" bellowed the Pikachu, blasting Spearow with electricity. The Spearow managed to hang on long enough to cast a Leer, but Battery unleashed a second Thunder Shock, which made the Spearow fall to the floor.

"Spearow, come back!" snapped Zack, throwing another ball as he withdrew the Normal/Flying-type. "Rattata!" he added as the purple Normal-type appeared.

"Battery, get back!" ordered Axel, throwing a Poké Ball of his own. "Itchy! Hyper Fang!"

It was hard to tell what exactly had happened in that next few seconds. The Raticate materialized... The Raticate lunged... the Raticate bit down... the Rattata's neck made a sound Rattata necks are most definitely not supposed to make.

Zack's eyes widened. "Wha... what?" he murmured, holding out Rattata's Poké Ball... which did nothing. "Rattata?"

Axel's mouth fell open. No. He didn't just...

"You..." Zack murmured, holding his dead Rattata in his arms, quivering with rage. "You... killed... my... Rattata."

"It was an accident!" protested Axel.

"Raticate!" added Itchy, nodding in agreement, and looking sadly at his deceased brethren.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" spat Zack.

"I know it's not, that's just the facts!" said Axel. "It didn't make me feel any better when your Eevee killed my Metapod."

Zack did not respond to this. Instead, he wordlessly threw a Poké Ball, releasing a Sandshrew. As the Ground-type caught sight of the dead Rattata in its Trainer's arms, it hissed angrily and dashed towards Itchy.

"Itchy, come back!" Axel said, hastily withdrawing his Raticate. "Ragweed, Vine Whip!"

"Saur!" Ragweed exclaimed as he emerged from his ball, vines extending from beneath his leaves. Sandshrew was knocked backwards, and Zack hastened to withdraw the Mouse Pokémon.

Zack threw another Poké Ball. "Eevee!" he shouted. "Avenge Rattata!"

But as Eevee emerged from its ball, it showed a clear reluctance to attack Ragweed. Clearly it was still distraught over having killed Flutters, but then, as one of Axel's Poké Balls burst open, it was clear that Needles didn't really give a Raticate's ass. Without waiting for orders, the Nidoking delivered a powerful Double Kick, knocking Eevee out.

"Needles..." Axel murmured warningly.

Needles growled, but did not advance on the barely-conscious Eevee. Axel had been right- revenge of the sort that he had in mind, that wouldn't be what Flutters would've wanted.

Zack glared at Axel, tears in his eyes, his Rattata's body in his arms. "Hmph... At least you're raising your Pokémon," he grumbled.

"Look, I really am sorry about Rattata," Axel said. "You're a world-class jerk, but no matter how many times I've told you to go bathing in Grimer sludge, you didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves to have their Pokémon die on them."

"...I guess it was an accident," Zack mumbled, sounding as though he was saying this with great reluctance. "I... look, I'm... I'm sorry, OK? About the Metapod. I... It was an accident, you know that, right?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah... yeah," he conceded.

"Vee," added Eevee. Axel turned to look- Eevee was severely weakened by the battle, but it was standing up once more. It looked up at Axel and at Needles, ears drooped, tears in its eyes. "Vee Eevee vee," it said solemnly.

"...Eevee's sorry, too," said Zack. "Y'know, for what it's worth, Eevee ran off the following day, I caught it putting a flower at that Metapod's grave."

"...Niidooooh," Needles growled, looking down at the tearful Eevee. Axel tensed, fearing the worst, but then, the Nidoking knelt down, and offered a hand to the Eevee. In return, the Eevee raised one of its front paws and placed it in the Nidoking's hand, managing a small smile.

"Well, looks like our Pokémon are forgiving each other," observed Axel. "Zack, what do you say? Maybe we could do as our Pokémon are doing?"

"...Fine," sighed Zack. "Look, this isn't easy stuff for me, y'know? I'm not used to... how do I put this... thinking of others. I mean, you grow up with a world-renowned Pokémon professor as your grampa who can give you basically everything you ask for... I dunno, I guess I've been kinda spoiled."

"You do tend to show it," agreed Axel. "But I like this new, thinking-of-others side of you, Zack. What say our rivalry become more of a friendly one?"

"Heh, I'll try," Zack replied, managing his usual cocky grin. "But you know how competitive I can be, Axel. I'll try to not be a total Grimer's ass to you, but even then, no promises."

"I'll take it," grinned Axel, as he and Zack shook hands.

"Well, anyway, I came here because I heard there was a Cut master on board," Zack explained. "The captain, actually, he's right up these stairs. But he was too seasick to show me anything. That said, Cut in and of itself is a pretty useful move, so you should go and see him. Smell ya!" With that, Zack withdrew Eevee and made his way down the corridor, his cocky grin vanishing as he looked down at his deceased Rattata.

Axel sighed after he withdrew Needles and Ragweed. He wasn't pleased with how the battle went. Granted, he did win, but at what cost? Now one of his own Pokémon was the cause of death to someone else's Pokémon. He now felt more sympathy than ever before for that Jr. Trainer on Nugget Bridge, the one with the Mankey, the one who had been Vlad's final opponent.

Battery climbed up Axel and sat on his shoulder. "Pika," he said in a comforting voice as he tried to pat his Trainer on the back.

Axel sighed and gave Battery a smile. "Thanks, buddy," he said gratefully. "Alright, let's go meet the captain."


	20. A Shocking Battle At Vermilion Gym

"...Let's never go see that captain again," Axel said to Battery as the pair of them hauled ass as far away from the S.S. Anne as they could possibly go.

"Pi-KA!" Battery agreed emphatically. At that moment, however, as they were about to step away from Vermilion Harbor, the deep, rumbling sound of the ship's horn blasted behind them. Startled, Axel tripped and fell onto the dock, and Battery flew off of his shoulder, headed straight for a concrete wall at high speeds.

"Battery!" Axel screamed in horror. No... Not Battery!

"Piiii..." whined the Pikachu, who closed his eyes, bracing for the crushing impact... and then, a curious pink flash of light emitted from beneath a pickup truck parked on one of the docks, and a pink glow came over Battery. The glow seemed to slow Battery down, and cause him to gently land on the ground. Sighing in relief, Axel scooped Battery into his arms, and very carefully made his way back to the Pokémon Center. Neither one of them noticed a pair of eyes peering out at them from underneath the truck...

"Ohhh... That was too close," sighed Axel as they left the Pokémon Center. "We gotta be more careful, Battery!"

"Pikachu," nodded Battery in agreement. The two said nothing more until they reached the Vermilion City Pokémon Gym. This Gym was blocked off on all sides by water- the only way to walk there was to remove a tree that had grown in the middle of a narrow walkway, which Ragweed was able to easily do, now that Axel had taught it Cut. The S.S. Anne's captain was cured of his seasickness- but only because he asked Axel to rub his back. It was not a pleasant experience for Axel, but it did the trick, and in his gratitude, the captain gave him a Hidden Machine- a device that worked like a Technical Machine, but was reusable, at the cost of the move it imparted being permanently ingrained upon the Pokémon's mind (as opposed to other moves, which Pokémon could easily forget in favor of learning new techniques). This one happened to teach Cut, which the captain claimed to be the next best thing to demonstrating his skill with a sword.

Axel blinked in confusion as he entered the Gym- the room was full of garbage cans and Trainers, and there was a pair of doors in the back. No sign of anyone who resembled a Gym Leader. Shrugging it off, Axel plucked Itchy's Poké Ball off of his belt and approached a Sailor...

Several battles later, Axel reattached the Poké Balls to his belt- Itchy had taken out most of his opponents with his Dig move, whereas Ozone was able to tackle a few Voltorb, owing to their lack of Electric attacks. Afterwards, the bespectacled man at the entrance gave Axel some advice- Flying-types and Water-types would do best to stay away from the Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, as they were weak to Electric, while Ground-types would have a major edge. He also imparted a highly relevant piece of information- Lt. Surge was cautious in the extreme. He had barricaded himself behind the doors in the back of the room. In order to get to him, Axel had to activate the two switches hidden in the various garbage cans. But it wasn't easy- they constantly moved from can to can, and while they were always in adjacent cans, activating one and then looking into a can that didn't contain the other would reset the whole system. It was horribly confusing, and extremely irritating. Axel was at it for the better part of an hour before he finally lucked out- pushing aside a discarded Super Potion bottle, he found the second switch and flipped it immediately. With a whooshing sound, the doors opened up.

"Aha!" grinned Axel as he and Battery strolled into the back room. It was smaller than the main room, but still spacious enough for a Pokémon fight to unfold. In the room, there stood a tall, muscular man with short blond hair. He wore camouflage clothing and looked down at Axel, giving a small smirk as his eyes came to rest on the Pikachu.

"Ten-hut!" he exclaimed. "Welcome to Vermilion Gym! Will you look at that? A pint-size challenger!"

"Hey," frowned Axel. "Just because you're taller doesn't mean your Pokémon fight better. I'm Axel Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here for a battle!"

At this, Surge actually laughed. "Hahaha! You've got big and brassy nerves to take me on with your puny power! A Pokémon battle is war! I'll show you, civilian..." As he said this, he plucked a Poké Ball off his belt and pressed the button to enlarge it.

"Pika..." murmured Battery, eyeing the ball nervously.

"...I'll shock you into surrender!" bellowed Surge as he threw the ball. "Raichu!" exclaimed Surge. The ball burst open, and what emerged looked rather like a Pikachu, except taller, more brownish-orange, and with a long, thin tail.

"A Raichu!" said Axel, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Itchy, go!" he added, as the ball burst open to reveal his Raticate.

"Hah!" Surge roared in laughter. "You think that thing can beat us?"

"Use Dig!" Axel ordered.

"Raichu! Give it a Thunderbolt!" roared Surge.

"Raaiiii... CHUUUUUUUU!" bellowed Raichu, unleashing a powerful electric blast. However, Raticate was able to burrow its way underground just in time to evade the attack. And then, the ground beneath Raichu started to crumble, and Raticate rocketed out of the ground, striking what appeared to be a weak point, judging by how Raichu reacted. It stumbled backwards... and fainted.

"Unbelievable!" Surge exclaimed, his mind blown. "How did you beat my Raichu at all, least of all in one single move?!"

"We're just that good," grinned Axel. "Itchy, well done!"

"Rrrraticate!" replied Itchy.

"Well, you're the real deal, kid, that's for sure," grinned Surge as he stepped forward. "So here- this Thunder Badge is for you!" he declared, handing Axel a bright yellow badge shaped like a sunburst.

"Awesome... the Thunder Badge!" Axel exclaimed, admiring it.

"Yeah- the Thunder Badge cranks up your Pokémon's Speed, and authorizes them to use Fly outside of a fight. And here- a TM for Thunderbolt," Surge added, handing a yellow disc to Axel. "Teach that to an Electric-type."

After leaving Vermilion Gym, Axel decided to check out the rest of the town. They observed a Machop stomping some land flat for a future building project, and then went on to the Pokémon Fan Club. Axel didn't particularly enjoy himself there- as if it wasn't bad enough having to listen to the chairman bragging about his Rapidash for three quarters of an hour, he also had to practically drag Battery away from a Clefairy he seemed to have developed a crush on. At least, Axel figured, the chairman had given him a Bike Voucher- it was good for one free Bicycle from the bike shop in Cerulean City, as opposed to paying their outrageous prices. Axel never even noticed the bike shop when he was in Cerulean City previously, though now he figured a trip back to Cerulean might just be in order...


	21. The Poisoned Pikachu

"A Bike Voucher?!" exclaimed the clerk at the bike shop, staring in dismay at the piece of cardboard Axel was presenting him. "Awww... I knew we shouldn't have given those out! We're losing money on this deal!"

"To be fair, your bikes are ridiculously expensive," Axel said fairly. "I mean, who in their right mind carries a million Pokédollars with them?"

"It's worth every penny, though," the clerk argued as he wheeled out a bright red Bicycle to where Axel was. "Press that button," he added, pointing to a small red button on the bike's frame, just under the handlebars. Axel pressed the button, and to his astonishment, the bike shrunk down to the size of a potato!

"Whoa!" breathed Axel, holding the now-tiny bike in his hand.

"Cool, huh?" grinned the clerk. "Same kind of technology used in Poké Balls. This way, there's no need to chain it up when you want to go inside- just shrink it down and put it in your pocket!"

"I like," Axel grinned. "Thanks!"

"No problem," replied the clerk. "Just go out and have fun- you can take that down Cycling Road, or in caves- like Rock Tunnel, actually."

"Rock Tunnel?" repeated Axel.

"Yeah," said the clerk. "This cave just east of town. Actually, if you're headed to Lavender Town or Celadon City, you'll want to head that way anyway- Saffron City's gatekeepers are blocking all entrances to the city for some reason," he added, rolling his eyes. "And I see you're a Trainer- Celadon City's got a Pokémon Gym, so I get the feeling that'll interest you."

"Very much so," nodded Axel. "Thanks again!"

Consulting his Town Map and boarding his new Bicycle, Axel sped off to the eastern part of town, Battery riding in the basket and enjoying it thoroughly. Sure enough, there was a narrow path leading out of town, blocked off by a small tree (which was no match for Ragweed's Cut). Following that, they found themselves on a rather hilly landscape, littered with big rocks and tall ledges... and Trainers. First was a Jr. Trainer whose Grass-types were no match for Ragweed, Ozone, and Needles, after which Kraken took on a Hiker's Machop and Onix, emerging victorious with no problems. Then there was the Youngster who came at them with an admittedly strong Sandshrew, though it was still no match for Kraken's Bubble Beam, and this was followed by a Bug Catcher who came at Axel and his team with a pair of Beedrill. Needles was able to take one of them out with a single Mega Punch, but for the other one, he instead demonstrated a new and particularly violent move of his- the Thrash attack.

After wandering around for what felt like forever, Axel came to a large stretch of tall grass. He rode his bike through the grass carefully, so as to not get grass tangled in the spokes, when the grass before him started to rustle. And then, a light blue creature with large ears and numerous spikes jumped out in front of him- a Nidoran, but unlike Needles had been, this one was of the female variety. Nidoran's gender differences were so vast that the two kinds were actually considered entirely different species of Pokémon.

"Battery! Thunder Wave!" Axel called.

"PIKAAAAAA!" bellowed Battery as he fired a weak electrical jolt. Nidoran grunted as she struggled against the paralysis, but managed to fire a barrage of ominous purple needles. Battery cried out as the Poison Sting made contact.

"Go, Poké Ball!" cried Axel, throwing a red-and-white sphere at the Nidoran... which she broke out of almost immediately. Irritated by this, Axel threw a Great Ball instead... and that one did the trick.

"Yes!" Axel cheered as Marge the Nidoran was transferred to the PC. "I just caught a female Nidoran!"

"Pi... Pikachu..."

Axel blinked. Something sounded seriously wrong with Battery- sure enough, the Pikachu was struggling to stand, his forehead taking on an ominous purple tint.

"Battery!" Axel exclaimed, kneeling down and taking off his backpack. "That Poison Sting must've poisoned you! OK, lemme see..." he mumbled as he rummaged through his bag. "...No Antidotes!?" he exclaimed. "I never restocked! OK, c'mon, Battery," he said, putting his backpack back on, stowing his Bicycle back in his backpack (in hindsight, the bike would've been quicker, but Axel wasn't exactly thinking straight at the moment), and scooping the Pikachu into his arms. With that, he ran for it, made a mad dash back to Cerulean City, his eyes scanning his surroundings for the familiar red roof...

"Pii... kaaa..." gasped Battery. With every couple of steps Axel took, the Electric-type's condition seemed to worsen. He sounded like he was in horrible pain, and his breathing was starting to become labored. Axel's blood ran cold as he considered the horrible possibility that Battery might di- NOPE. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, hell, no! That would not happen. Axel would not allow that to happen! Quickening his pace, Axel leapt down a ledge, raced past the Gym, and at long last, burst through the Pokémon Center doors.

"Oh, my!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as Axel came running up to her. "What's all the-"

"Please- my Pikachu!" Axel interrupted hastily, handing the feebly stirring Electric-type to Nurse Joy. "Poisoned... out of Antidotes... Ran whole way..."

Nurse Joy said no more, realizing the severity of the situation, and she and Chansey took Battery into the emergency room right away. The next two hours were the longest weeks of Axel's life as he paced anxiously around the waiting area. His other Pokémon had all exited their Poké Balls as well (even Kraken- he did fit in the building, but it was a bit of a squeeze), all of them hoping that Battery was all right.

The Raticate, the Pidgeotto, the Nidoking, the Gyarados, the Ivysaur... they were all wildly different in personality, but all of them could agree on one thing- Battery was a good friend, a dependable teammate, and if the unthinkable happened, they didn't know how they would ever cope. Itchy started out as one of the more pathetically weak Rattata Route 1 had to offer, and now he was a formidable Raticate, able to take out Lt. Surge's infamous Raichu in one attack, and he owed that to Battery's patience and help. Needles had always looked up to Battery as a role model after seeing the Electric-type in action back when he was a Nidoran. Ozone, she always felt like she and Battery were kind of like the parents of the team. Battery was just as much a father to the team as she was a mother to them, and the Pidgeotto had a great deal of respect for him. Ragweed might not have known Battery for quite as long as the others, but it was Axel's remarkable bond with the Pikachu that endeared him to the Trainer in the first place. And Kraken... If the unthinkable were to happen, everyone knew that Kraken would take it hardest of all. Nobody else believed in Kraken's potential but Axel and Battery. Battery was the one who defended Kraken to the others. Battery was the one who helped them become friends. Battery was the one who always assured Kraken that he was destined for great things... Kraken would likely not be a Gyarados today were it not for Battery. He owed that Pikachu a great deal.

Axel, meanwhile, was trying to wrap his head around the grim possibility that lay before him. He had lost Pokémon before, true enough, and it was a like a nightmare for him to lose Flutters and Vlad... but not Battery. He couldn't bear to think of going on without hearing a cheerful "Pika pika!" by his side. He didn't even think he could bear to catch a Pokémon without hearing Battery's "Pi Pikachu!". Battery was the Pokémon Axel was closest to out of all of his Pokémon, his best friend, they were practically like brothers...

The sound of a door opening caught all of their attention. Nurse Joy, looking too exhausted for her face to give anything away, stepped out of the emergency room and walked over to Axel.

"Nurse Joy..." Axel said, approaching her, his voice quiet, almost pleading. "My Pikachu... is he...?"


	22. Rock Tunnel 'N' Roll

Nurse Joy looked down at Axel... and smiled. "Your Pikachu's made a full recovery," she reported.

"Pika pika!" came a voice from behind Nurse Joy. Taking the cue, she stepped aside, allowing a revitalized and recharged Battery to leap up into Axel's arms. Axel's other Pokémon exclaimed happily, relieved that their friend was OK.

"Battery!" Axel exclaimed, tears of relief leaking from his eyes as he held his Pikachu close to him. "Oh, I'm so glad you're OK! Well, that settles that- we're stocking up on Antidotes before leaving town!" he declared.

"Pi-KA-chu!" Battery agreed, nodding his emphatic agreement.

True to Axel's word, their next stop was the Cerulean City Pokémon Mart, where, in addition to more Poké Balls, Axel bought a couple dozen Antidotes. He had already stocked up on Super Potions back in Vermilion City, so he was good as far as that. And then, he and Battery headed back out to Route 9.

There were even more Trainers to be fought out on the hilly landscape, including a Hiker whose Geodude and Onix were no match for Ragweed's Vine Whip, a Bug Catcher whose Caterpie, Weedle, and Venonat were his idea of "super Bug Pokémon", and a Jr. Trainer with a somewhat respectable lineup of Rattata, Diglett, Ekans, and Sandshrew, among others. At last, the hilly landscape leveled out, and they came to another patch of grass. According to Axel's Town Map, they had reached Route 10, and were close to Rock Tunnel.

Just then, the nearby grass started to rustle. Axel and Battery turned to look, and a spherical metal creature rose up out of the grass. "Magnemite," it droned.

"A Magnemite!" exclaimed Axel. "Battery, Thunder Wave!"

The Magnemite did not put up much of a fight- it hit Battery with Tackle a few times, before finally succumbing to the third or fourth Poké Ball Axel threw at it. He and Battery sighed in relief as Microwave the Magnemite was sent to the PC.

A Pokémon Center wasn't too far from them, so Axel brought in his team for a quick check-up... and then they reached Rock Tunnel.

"...Whoa. It's dark in here," Axel murmured. Indeed, it was nearly impossible to see which way to go. And then, Axel tripped over what appeared to be a large rock... until the rock moved.

"Geo?! Geodude!" the rock exclaimed angrily.

"A Geodude!" Axel exclaimed, recognizing the cry. In order to try and help his Trainer, Battery let off a few sparks from his cheeks- it wasn't sufficient to light up the cave, but it did at least let Axel see the wild Geodude that was indeed hovering before him. And it looked angry. Thinking fast, Axel threw a Great Ball at the Geodude... and caught it.

"Whew," sighed Axel as Slate the Geodude was sent to the PC. "That was a close one. Battery, can you keep up the sparks? It won't light our way, but at least I'll be able to avoid stepping on wild Pokémon."

"Pika," nodded Battery, his cheeks sparking again.

Satisfied with this, Axel continued onward-

"Pokémon fight! Ready, go!"

Axel was thoroughly startled by this- a Pokémaniac, as it turned out, had seen Axel with the help of night-vision goggles, and was intent on challenging him to a battle. Thankfully, Kraken was able to deal with Cubone, and Battery handled Slowpoke with ease.

The Pokémaniac was but the tip of the iceberg, too- there were other Trainers further in the cave. Jr. Trainers, Hikers, more Pokémaniacs, all sorts. The battles themselves weren't particularly trying (which Axel was grateful for- navigation was tough enough as it is, he didn't need the battles to be next to impossible, too!), but Axel's Pokémon found themselves getting worn out quite quickly against them. More than once, Itchy had to Dig them a shortcut out of the cave and back to the Pokémon Center so they could recuperate before heading back inside. Most of the battles were quite uneventful, until...

"Again, Battery! Thunder Shock!" Axel exclaimed.

"Piiikaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" bellowed Battery, blasting the opposing Slowpoke with electricity once again.

"Come back, Slowpoke!" said the Super Nerd, as the light from the ball's recall beam granted brief, dim illumination. "Go, Slowpoke!" he added, throwing a third ball, unleashing his third (and Axel hoped final) Slowpoke.

"Another one..." Axel groaned. "Battery, use- hm?" he murmured, for his Pokédex had just emitted a simple yet strangely victorious tune. He recognized this- it happened every time one of his Pokémon learned a new attack. He grinned as he read the screen, then turned back to the battle. "OK! Battery, Thunderbolt!" he ordered.

"Piiikaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" Battery exclaimed, unleashing a more powerful electric blast than he had ever used before. This time, the Slowpoke was defeated in one move- it took two uses of Thunder Shock to defeat a Slowpoke previously. Axel was thrilled- he was planning on using the TM he got from Lt. Surge on Battery, but the recent incident with the poisoning kinda took his mind off of it.

The rest of the trek through Rock Tunnel was much easier from that point onward, and soon enough, Axel found himself shielding his eyes against the bright sunlight- he and Battery had made it through the cave And not far ahead of him, Axel could see a small settlement, complete with a tall, ominous structure. They had almost made it to Lavender Town.


	23. From Lavender To Celadon

"...Yeesh," commented Axel as he and Battery walked into Lavender Town. There had been yet even more Trainers on Route 10, but they hadn't been much trouble. "This place is... pretty bleak."

"Pikachu," nodded Battery in agreement. Indeed, the town was rather drab and depressing, a solemn, almost ominous atmosphere to it. Cracked pavement, crumbling houses with chipped paint, bare trees lacking so much as a single leaf... and then, of course, there was that tower. Axel learned in the Pokémon Center that it was Pokémon Tower, a grave site for Pokémon. Deciding that the town's atmosphere was a bit too grim for his liking, Axel led the way south, where the route consisted of a bunch of docks attached to each other, forming a walkway over the water. As they walked, they encountered a number of Fishermen, all itching for battle, all of whom got defeated by Battery and Ragweed. And then, where the docks met dry land, Axel had to stop, for there was something very big blocking his way.

"...What is that?" Axel said, looking up at it- it was a massive blob-like creature, snoring softly.

"That, my friend, is a Snorlax," replied a nearby Fisherman. "They come down from the mountains on rare occasion, find a spot they like, and sleep until they're hungry. Which could take weeks to happen."

"So... why doesn't someone just catch it in a Poké Ball?" Axel asked. "Surely it can't be hard to catch if it's asleep?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" chuckled the Fisherman. "Believe me, kid, you're not the first to think of that, nor will you be the last. No, for some reason, when a wild Snorlax is in a deep sleep like this, Poké Balls don't work on it. Some kind of defense mechanism, I guess. There's one near Celadon, too, over by Cycling Road. Between this and the other one, they've blocked off all roads to Fuchsia City..."

Axel returned to Lavender Town following this, and this time, he consulted his Town Map before leaving Town, discovering that he had to head west to get to Celadon City. Numerous Trainers lined that route, few of them very challenging (though after battling a Lass and her trio of Meowth, Axel was forced to backtrack to Lavender Town's Pokémon Center), but what caught Axel's attention was some tall grass, blocked off by a bunch of rocks and several trees. Of course, said trees were no match for Ragweed... unfortunately, none of the wild Pokémon that Axel could see in the grass caught his eye. Pidgey, Jigglypuff, Abra... they were all varieties that he had already caught.

"Aww, man, nothing new," Axel sighed, walking away from the grass dejectedly.

"Chuuu," added Battery, mirroring his Trainer's sentiment.

The remaining Trainers on the Route were, for the most part, not a challenge (though that one Gambler's Poliwhirl kept lucking out with Hypnosis to an annoying extent, Axel couldn't help but notice), and finally, they came to the entrance of the second underground passageway that traveled beneath Saffron City, this one spanning east to west.

The tunnel took them to Route 7, a tiny little route containing the shack which contained the tunnel's entrance, a small patch of grass that didn't catch Axel's eye at all, and one of Saffron City's gates. Axel didn't even go in and he could already see the gatekeeper sitting behind the counter, just waiting to refuse entrance. More to the point, as Axel and Battery headed west, they found themselves walking on a brick path. They had made it to Celadon City.

"Awesome!" grinned Axel, as he and his Pikachu wandered around the big city. Celadon was massive, bigger than any city they had been to by far, and they were intent on exploring as much of it as they could! They swung by the Department Store, which was having a sale on evolution stones- Axel voiced the idea of buying a Thunder Stone for Battery, and the Pikachu offered as a rebuttal a Thunderbolt attack. Wanting to change the subject abruptly, Axel led the way to the rooftop, where he ended up buying beverages from a vending machine for a little girl. In her gratitude, the little girl gave Axel a number of Technical Machines she had- Rock Slide, Ice Beam, and Tri Attack, all of them useful moves. Axel accepted them gratefully, then bought a few more beverages for the road before he and Battery left the store. They also checked out Route 16 to the west- or what they could access of it anyway- the Fisherman was right, another Snorlax was blocking their way. But by Cutting down a tree, they found a patch of grass where Axel was able to catch a Doduo. Once Brainstorm the Doduo was sent to the PC, he then stumbled upon a small house where a woman was hiding out- she referred to it as her secret retreat. She appeared to be a celebrity of some sort, though she wasn't familiar to Axel. He never kept up with celebrities in the first place, anyway- what business was it of his, the private lives of complete strangers? After he assured her he wouldn't reveal her location, she gave him a Hidden Machine for Fly in her gratitude, which Axel used on Ozone. Filled with newfound strength and power, the Pidgeotto flew Axel and Battery back to the Celadon Pokémon Center. They then swung by a restaurant for lunch, where a completely broke customer begged Axel to take his Coin Case away as he swore off the Game Corner forever.

"The Game Corner, huh?" Axel murmured, intrigued. "C'mon, Battery, let's check that out next."

And check that out next they did! Axel walked inside the Game Corner, and was met with the sight of rows and rows of slot machines, with people of all ages playing them eagerly. Occasionally, alarm bells would ring to indicate that someone had won big. Axel wanted to start playing right away, but the machines didn't take Pokédollars- he had to buy coins. As he wandered around to search for the counter at which he could buy coins, Battery pointed out any coins he managed to find on the floor. Not only that, Axel was occasionally stopped by some patrons- they could tell he was new to the place and were willing to help him get started by giving him 10 or 20 coins. Once Axel found the counter, he realized he had already gotten 250 coins to his name, and decided to just start playing the slots instead...

Several hours later, Axel exited the Game Corner, a big smile on his face as he carried a somewhat heavier Coin Case. "One thousand coins!" he grinned. "Battery, let's go see what we can get!" he said, leading the way into the small building next to the Game Corner- it was the prize exchange, where coins could be used to buy prizes. Some of them were TMs, albeit way out of Axel's price range, but it wasn't the TMs that caught his attention- it was the Pokémon. Abra and Wigglytuff, not so much... Scyther, Pinsir, and Porygon all looked well and good, but were out of Axel's price range... no, it was with the purchase of Sunny the Vulpix that Axel left the prize exchange. However, his first stop was right back in the Game Corner. He saw something in there that made him suspicious...

"Excuse me," Axel said, approaching a man in black clothing. Sure enough, he was still standing in the Game Corner, still facing the same wall, as though absolutely fascinated by it. "Excuse me, what are you-"

The man wheeled around- as Axel had suspected, the man was indeed dressed in a Team Rocket uniform. "I'm guarding this poster!" he blurted out. "Go away or else!" Then he blinked as the absurd and incriminating nature of his words dawned upon him. "...Uh, I mean-" he began.

"Nice try," smirked Axel. "What are you guarding the poster for, anyway?"

"Well, see, it's not so much that I'm guarding the poster," the Rocket tried to explain. "It's more like- Raticate!" he shouted suddenly, throwing a Poké Ball.

"Go! Ozone!" Axel exclaimed, throwing a ball of his own. "Fly!"

"Pidgeooooooo!" trilled Ozone as she flew up as high as she could, considering the ceiling, before dive-bombing the Raticate the Rocket was using. This tactic needed only be used twice before the Raticate was withdrawn, replaced with a Zubat.

"Now! Swift!" Axel ordered.

"Pidgeooooooo!" screeched Ozone. She spread her wings wide, and numerous large, yellow stars formed all around her, before shooting themselves at Zubat. The Poison/Flying-type tried to fly out of the way, but the stars changed course, honing in on Zubat before finally making contact.

"Come back, Zubat!" exclaimed the Rocket, holding out the Poké Ball. "Dang!" he muttered to himself. The hideout might be discovered, I better tell the boss!" And he ran off, ducking behind a row of slot machines. Axel approached the poster and carefully lifted a corner. Sure enough, a big red button was built into the wall behind it. Axel pushed it, and a whooshing sound came from behind the row of slot machines the Rocket had escaped behind. As they went to investigate, Axel and Battery could see that a door had opened up, leading down a flight of stairs.

"Team Rocket's hideout, perhaps?" murmured Axel.

"Pika, Pikachu," shrugged Battery, though he looked decidedly intrigued by this development. Neither of them wanting to wait any longer to satiate their curiosity, Axel led the way down the stairs.

Indeed, it was Team Rocket's hideout. Axel was astonished that the criminal gang had their headquarters directly underneath the Game Corner, but right now, he was gonna take this opportunity to take out as many Rockets as he could. And sure enough, the place was crawling with them. Fortunately, as was usual for them, they hardly put up a fight at all, with the exception of one, whose Machop performed rather well against Ragweed.

"Come back, Machop," snapped the Rocket, as Ozone's Fly took out the second of his two Machop. "Go ahead, see how far you'll get," he sneered at Axel. "But you won't get anywhere in the elevator without a Lift Key!"

"A Lift Key?" repeated Axel curiously.

With this new information in mind, Axel made a point of demanding of any Rockets he defeated where he might acquire a Lift Key, but none of them seemed to know much about it.

As they progressed, Axel came across areas covered in strange floor tiles with arrows on them. When he stepped on one, he found that a strange mechanism in the floor activated, sending him sliding in the direction indicated by the arrow until he hit another arrow tile pointing in a different direction, or another peculiar-looking tile which allowed him to stop and move on his own again. It took him and Battery a while to get the hang of it, but eventually they managed to navigate the tricky floor. And then...

"Battery! Thunderbolt!" ordered Axel.

"Piiikaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" bellowed Battery, assaulting the enemy Zubat with a powerful burst of electricity. Zubat screeched in pain and was thrown back, right into the torso of the Rocket commanding it. This caused him to stumble backwards, and Axel noticed something fall out of his pocket...

"Come back, Zubat," grumbled the Rocket, withdrawing the Poison/Flying-type. Then, as he reattached Zubat's ball to his belt, his hand brushed up against his pocket, and his eyes widened. "No. Oh, no!" he exclaimed. "I dropped the Lift Key-"

"Pi!" squeaked Battery. Axel looked down- the Pikachu was holding up the very key the Rocket had dropped.

"Oh, come on!" whined the Rocket. "Give it back, you stupid rat-"

"Piiikaaaa... CHUUUUUUUU!" interrupted Battery, giving the Rocket another Thunderbolt in response. He quieted down after that, allowing them to go without trouble... now it was just a matter of finding the elevator.

It took them a little backtracking, some more navigation of another arrow tile puzzle, and even more Pokémon fights, but eventually, Axel finally found the elevator. Upon stepping inside, he saw a keyhole, and sure enough, the Lift Key fit it perfectly. He first headed back up to the first floor, where yet another fight against yet another Rocket managed to blow open a locked door. This made it easier for Axel to return to the Pokémon Center and heal his Pokémon- he had heard that Boss Rocket, as they referred to him, was waiting on the lowest floor in his office, and any chance Axel could take at the head of the entire organization, he'd take it. Getting back into the elevator, Axel pressed the button for B4f, and the car descended further underground. Finally, the doors slid open, and Axel stepped out-

"Not another step, brat!"


	24. Blasting Off Again

"Oh, not you clowns again!" Axel groaned- the same white-uniformed Rockets from Mt. Moon, complete with Meowth, were approaching him again.

"How dare you humiliate us at Mt. Moon!" exclaimed the blue-haired male Rocket.

"It's payback time, you brat!" added the red-haired female Rocket. "You first, James!"

"Right, Jessie," nodded the male Rocket, evidently named James, who threw a Poké Ball. "Koffing!" he yelled.

Axel threw a ball as well. "Itchy! Dig!" he ordered as his Raticate materialized, only to burrow into the floor. Once it re-emerged and struck Koffing, however, the Poison-type retaliated with a blast of Smog. Itchy started coughing, and looked somewhat weaker- he was poisoned!"

"Use Quick Attack!" ordered Axel.

"Rrrrraticate..." groaned Itchy, who nevertheless slammed into Koffing, knocking it down to the ground.

"Come back, Koffing!" exclaimed James.

"Lemme take a crack at dis," Meowth offered, stepping forward.

"Itchy, you still good?" asked Axel.

"Rrrraticate!" nodded Itchy, despite the poison in its system.

Axel nodded back. "Then use Hyper Fang!" Itchy lunged forward, and within seconds, Meowth was screaming and begging for mercy. As soon as Itchy let go, Meowth raced back and hid behind Jessie as she prepared a Poké Ball.

"If you want something done right, you've got to get it done yourself," she declared, throwing the ball. "Go, Ekans!"

"Itchy, Dig!" ordered Axel.

"Rrraticate!" screeched Itchy as he tore at the floor once more, and this time, when he reappeared and struck Ekans from underneath, the one hit was enough to knock the Poison-type out.

"Hmph," Jessie grumbled as she withdrew Ekans. "It's time we got out of here."

James nodded. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" he agreed, as he and Jessie darted into the elevator behind Axel. The doors slid closed, and Axel could hear it roar to life- Clearly they too had a Lift Key.

"Pikachu!" Battery called out urgently. Axel looked down and saw the problem- Itchy was still poisoned! Fortunately, Axel was able to administer an Antidote straightaway, which cleared up the poisoning immediately. And then, Axel could see the office just ahead of him, the office Jessie, James, and Meowth were trying to guard... the office of Boss Rocket.

Behind a desk in the office, a man with sleek, black hair smirked at the Trainer and Pikachu currently entering his office. The man was dressed in a black suit with a small red R on the jacket. "So," he said. "I must say, I am impressed you got here."

"So you're Boss Rocket, are you?" asked Axel.

The man smirked even more. "Very good, Axel. Oh, yes," he added, for Axel was rather surprised to hear this man say his name. "I know all about you. Rockets from all over have been complaining about a young Trainer interfering in Team Rocket's affairs. Why, you even refused our most generous offer to join our ranks."

"Of course I did!" snapped Axel. "I'm not about to join a bunch of crazy criminals!"

Boss Rocket bowed his head. "That's such a shame," he replied. "With potential like yours, Team Rocket would be unstoppable."

"All the more reason for me not to join," retorted Axel.

"Pika pika!" growled Battery, his cheeks sparking menacingly.

Boss Rocket chuckled. "So, you wish to battle me, is that it? Very well. I, Giovanni, will show you the true terrors of Team Rocket! Onix!" he shouted, throwing a Poké Ball.

As the gigantic Rock Snake materialized, Battery's cheeks stopped sparking, and he backed off. "Chaaaa..." he whined.

"Don't sweat it, buddy," Axel reassured him, already throwing a Poké Ball. "Needles! Water Gun!"

"Niiiidooooooh!" bellowed Needles, the Nidoking blasting Giovanni's Onix with a powerful jet of water. This knocked it out in one hit. Annoyed, Giovanni withdrew Onix and sent in a Rhyhorn, who met the same fate.

"Heh... What's next, a Graveler?" smirked Axel as Giovanni withdrew Rhyhorn.

"Now you listen to me," Giovanni replied ominously. "Spraying a few Water Guns around does not make you a better Trainer." And he threw what appeared to be an Ultra Ball. "Persian!" he shouted, as a sleek feline materialized. It stood on four legs and had a ruby-like gem in its forehead.

"Double Kick!" Axel ordered.

"Screech!" Giovanni commanded.

Persian opened its mouth and let out an earsplitting Screech. Needles shivered involuntarily, but ran forward nonetheless and landed two truly devastating kicks, each one appearing to strike a weak spot. When the attack concluded, Persian slumped to the floor.

"WHAT!" Giovanni exclaimed, after having withdrawn Persian. "This cannot be!"

"It can be, it is, and if we cross paths again, it will continue to be," retorted Axel.

"Pi-KA!" Battery nodded in agreement.

"Hmph," grumbled Giovanni. "I see that you raise Pokémon with utmost care," he said with a hint of disdain in his voice. "A mere child like you can never understand what I hope to achieve. Very well- I shall step aside this time! I hope we meet again..." he finished ominously. He flipped a nearby switch on the wall, and the lights all went out- it was completely dark. Hastily, Axel fumbled around in the dark until he was able to turn the switch back on... and Giovanni was gone.

"What the-" began Axel.

"Pika! Pikachu pika!" interrupted Battery. Axel looked down- Battery was pointing at what appeared to be a mechanically modified pair of binoculars. The words "Silph Scope" were written on the side.

"Huh, so Silph finally released it," murmured Axel, picking up the device. "This is supposed to make it so you can identify ghosts that are concealing their identity. I wonder what Giovanni wanted with this?" Though he couldn't think of anything, he stowed it in his backpack anyway- better he keep it than Team Rocket, after all.

Just a short walk later and they were back outside. Axel led the way over to the Pokémon Center, but already knew where he was going after that- the Celadon City Gym!


	25. Kicking Grass At Celadon Gym

Even before entering the building, Axel could guess as to the Gym's type- the building was concealed behind rows and rows of trees, to the point where Ragweed had to Cut one down to make a path. There was also lush, green grass lining the path, instead of the usual bricks that made up pretty much the rest of Celadon City. And then, as Axel entered, he did see a bunch of trees, flowers, and grass growing indoors, but also, as an old man outside so kindly informed him, the place was full of women. Axel couldn't help but grin, as a good number of these girls looked around close to his age.

However, they all seemed more interested in battling, none of them too happy about a boy being in Celadon Gym, and even less so when they witnessed their Grass-types fall to Ozone's Fly and Kraken's recently-learned Ice Beam.

Finally, Axel reached the Gym Leader... as she lay snoozing on the ground. Hurriedly, one of the Cooltrainers nearby woke her up.

"Zzz... hmm? Wha? Oh, hello," the Gym Leader said softly as she stood up. "Lovely weather, isn't it? It's so pleasant... Oh, dear, I must have dozed off," she added sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"It's no problem," Axel replied. "My name's Axel, by the way."

"Well, welcome," the Gym Leader smiled. "My name is Erika. I am the Leader of Celadon Gym. My Pokémon are all of the Grass type, and we teach the art of flower arranging."

"Flower arranging?" repeated Axel. "But we came here for a Gym battle!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Erika. "I had no idea that you wished to challenge me. Very well... but I shall not lose!" she declared, throwing a Poké Ball into the air. "Tangela!" she called, as what appeared to be a tangled mass of blue vines materialized.

"Itchy!" Axel exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball of his own. "Use Hyper Fang!"

"Rrrraticate!" Itchy screeched, lunching forward and sinking his fangs into Tangela.

"Tangela, Bind it!" ordered Erika.

"Hyper Fang again!" ordered Axel.

Tangela's vines started to unravel and snake their way towards Itchy, but the Raticate deftly dodged them and delivered another powerful Hyper Fang attack.

"Use Mega Drain," said Erika.

"Taaaaang!" exclaimed Tangela. Its eyes glowed green, and numerous pale-green beads of energy flew out of Raticate's body, and into Tangela's.

"Itchy! One more Hyper Fang!" commanded Axel.

"Bind!" called Erika.

Itchy managed to land the Hyper Fang, but this time, Tangela's vines coiled around the Raticate, leaving Axel helpless as he watched them squeeze his Raticate... until finally, Itchy broke free.

"Now! Hyper Fang!" called Axel.

"Rrrrraticate!" screeched Itchy as he lunged forward, and this time, Tangela slumped to the ground.

"Come back, Tangela," said Erika calmly, holding out the Poké Ball. "You're not bad, Axel," she said as she threw another ball. "Now, Weepinbell!"

"Itchy, come back!" called Axel, withdrawing his Raticate as he threw another Poké Ball of his own. "Kraken! Ice Beam!"

The Gyarados gave a shrieking roar as the icy blast erupted from his mouth. Weepinbell cried out in pain as the Ice Beam made contact, but it was still standing.

"Sleep Powder!" ordered Erika.

However, as Weepinbell tried to spray the Gyarados with a fine blue powder, Kraken fired off another Ice Beam, this one managing to finish Weepinbell.

"Come back, Weepinbell," said Erika, already throwing a third ball. "Gloom!" she exclaimed.

This time, the Pokémon that appeared was a dark shade of blue, with foul-smelling drool oozing from its mouth. Axel had fought one or two of these in the past, and didn't think this one would be any different. "Kraken, Ice Beam!" he ordered his Gyarados.

"Gloom, Petal Dance!" commanded Erika.

The Ice Beam struck first, blasting Gloom with icy energy. However, the Grass/Poison-type was still standing, and on Erika's command, started to twirl around in place. Immediately, flower petals appeared out of nowhere, spinning around Gloom like a tornado. And then, the petal tornado launched itself forward, slamming into Kraken, who shrieked in pain. Gloom, curiously, continued to twirl.

"Ice Beam once again, Kraken!" ordered Axel. In response, the Gyarados repeated its attack, and that was enough to stop Gloom from spinning. Or standing, for that matter.

"Oh! I concede defeat," sighed Erika, bowing her head as she withdrew Gloom.

"Yes!" Axel exclaimed as he hugged Kraken. The Gyarados gave a happy roar in response.

"You are remarkably strong," Erika smiled as she approached Axel. "I am happy to present you with this Rainbow Badge," she added, handing Axel a badge that looked like a flower with multicolored petals. "With this, any Pokémon of yours that knows Strength will be able to use it outside of battle. And take this as well," she added, handing a green disc to Axel. "This Technical Machine teaches Mega Drain, the move my Tangela used earlier. Half the energy drained by it is used to heal the user."

"Thanks, Erika," smiled Axel, before exiting the Gym.


	26. A Fighting-Type To Remember

The next morning, Axel hung out in the Pokémon Center, trying to figure out his next move. The nearest Pokémon Gyms were in Fuchsia City, which was blocked off in all directions by sleeping Snorlax, and Saffron City, which was blocked off in all directions by unpleasant guards. And then, he heard it- rumors of ghosts running amok in Pokémon Tower, over in Lavender Town. As he heard this, Axel and Battery exchanged glances. "Sounds like we're headed back to Lavender Town," he remarked.

"Pikachu," nodded Battery, and with that, they were off.

Axel sighed as he ventured back onto Route 7- the underground passages weren't bad by any means, but still, there was no reason for those gatekeepers to keep Saffron City blocked off... As they neared the shack, Axel stopped and dug a couple of Fresh Waters out of his backpack. "Here you go, buddy," he said, offering one of them to Battery. The Pikachu happily accepted the beverage as Axel began to chug one himself.

"Hey!" came a voice from behind them. Axel turned- the gatekeeper could see them from his post, and was eyeing the Fresh Waters thirstily. "Hey, you- you got any more Fresh Waters?"

"Uh... yeah, just one," replied Axel. He walked into the gate, taking another Fresh Water out of his backpack.

"Mmm," the gatekeeper groaned, eyeing the water bottle. "Say, look, uh... you give me that, and you can go on in to Saffron City, alright? I'll even share it with the other guards, OK?"

"Well... alright, sure," smiled Axel, handing the Fresh Water to the guard. He opened the bottle and took a big gulp.

"Ahhh," he sighed contentedly. Needing to see nothing further, Axel and Battery continued onward.

Saffron City was massive. Even bigger than Celadon. Skyscrapers were all over, particularly one near the center of the town. After a brief stay at the Pokémon Center (more to familiarize themselves with its location than anything else), Axel began to explore, with Battery riding on his shoulder.

However, it quickly became very clear that something was wrong- there were Rockets everywhere. They were able to get into the Pokémon Mart, and the house of a man who called himself Mr. Psychic, but the largest skyscraper in the city (which was the headquarters of the Silph Company) and the Saffron Gym were both blocked off by Rockets who refused to move. Axel felt like battling the one in front of Saffron Gym, just to drive him away, but then he spotted another building next door- it looked like another Gym! The sign in front, however, revealed it to be called the Fighting Dojo. Curious, Axel entered the building and checked it out.

As it turned out, the Fighting Dojo was home to a number of Black Belts who trained powerful Fighting-type Pokémon. After Axel defeated them, the story came out- some time ago, Saffron City had two Gyms, until they decided to have only one. The Fighting Dojo and the other Gym had a battle to determine which Gym would be Saffron City's official Gym, and since the other Gym specialized in Psychic-types, it left little more to the imagination.

Finally, Axel approached the man in charge. The man grunted. "I am Kiyo- the karate master! I am the Leader here!" he exclaimed. "You wish to challenge us? Expect no mercy! Hitmonlee!" he shouted, throwing a Poké Ball which unleashed a brown Fighting-type with spring-like legs.

Axel also threw a Poké Ball. "Go! Ozone!" he shouted as his Pidgeotto appeared. "Fly!"

"Hitmonlee! Meditate!" Kiyo shouted.

"Leeee," replied Hitmonlee as he assumed a pose, closed his eyes, and focused. Meanwhile, Ozone soared up into the air.

"Here!" Kiyo shouted suddenly, throwing a small red capsule forward. It burst open at Hitmonlee's feet, emitting red smoke. The smoke rose up all around Hitmonlee and was absorbed into its body.

"What the-" began Axel.

"An X Attack," smirked Kiyo. "Helpful little item. Boosts the Pokémon's attack power."

"Ozone! Attack now!" ordered Axel.

"Pidgeoooooo!" trilled Ozone. She dove back down and slammed into Hitmonlee. The Fighting-type was knocked back, but maintained his footing.

"Again! Use Fly!" ordered Axel.

"Rolling Kick!" commanded Kiyo.

"Hitmonleeee!" exclaimed the Fighting-type. He sprang into action, preparing to execute a roundhouse kick, but Ozone deftly dodged it as she flew up high. Kiyo gritted his teeth- he could do nothing and he knew it, so he and Hitmonlee merely watched the Pidgeotto until Hitmonlee was struck by the powerful Flying move and knocked to the ground.

"Come back, Hitmonlee!" said Kiyo, throwing another ball. "Now, Hitmonchan!" he exclaimed. This one was also human-shaped, but was wearing a skirt and a pair of boxing gloves.

"Ozone, come back now!" Axel said, withdrawing his Pidgeotto as he turned to the Electric-type by his side. "Battery, you're up!"

"Pika!" nodded Battery, dashing forward, his cheeks sparking.

Kiyo smirked. "This will be easy," he murmured. "Hitmonchan, Comet Punch!"

"Battery! Thunderbolt!" ordered Axel.

"Piiikaaaa- pi! Ka! Pi! Ka!" grunted Battery, for before he could manage to get off his attack, Hitmonchan had raced in and was delivering punch after punch after punch. Axel winced with each blow his friend took. Battery tried to evade the rest of the attack, but Hitmonchan was too quick. And then, finally, Hitmonchan drew its fist back and delivered the final blow, sending the Pikachu flying clear across the Fighting Dojo, into the opposite wall with a horrifying crash.

"Battery!" screamed Axel. He raced over to the wall just as the Electric-type peeled off the wall and fell into the Trainer's arms. "Battery! Are you OK?" Axel said worriedly.

"Piii... Piii..." gasped Battery. He was in horrible shape, that much was clear. Kiyo and Hitmonchan looked on, worried expressions on each face. And then, Battery looked up at his Trainer, and managed a weak smile. Weak, but somehow reassuring. "Piiika... Chaaaaaaaa..." breathed Battery. And with that final, gut-wrenching "Chaaaaaaaa", Battery... stopped breathing.

Axel fell to his knees. No. No. This was a dream. A nightmare. A horrible, twisted nightmare. He was hypnotized by wild Drowzee and they were just screwing with him. That's all it was. Right? Battery was still alive, right? He wasn't lying dead in his Trainer's arms, right?

"No... No..." Axel managed to say, his voice weak and trembling, his eyes tearing up. It couldn't be, it just couldn't be! There were some close calls in the past, but Battery's always bounced back!

So numb to everything not small and yellow in the room was Axel that he barely even heard a Poké Ball open up. He didn't notice Kraken materializing behind him, didn't hear the horrified shriek, followed by the anguished, enraged roaring, nor the furious sound of rage-fueled Bubble Beam attacks being launched at a certain Fighting-type.

Axel felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up- Kiyo was next to him, his head bowed somberly. "I am sorry," he said quietly. "Your Pikachu was brave, and I have no doubt he was strong-"

"Stop saying 'was'," interrupted Axel. "Stop it... please... he's not... he can't..."

"He was your very first Pokémon, wasn't he?" asked Kiyo. Axel could say no more at this point, so he merely nodded as he attempted to hold back tears. "I thought so," Kiyo replied, bowing his head. "I too know the pain of what you are going through... Back when my Fighting Dojo fought Sabrina's Gym for official Pokémon League status, it was her Alakazam against my Machamp. And Machamp lost... permanently," he said quietly, a single tear coming to his eye. "But," he added. "You must accept it. You must put your Pikachu to rest in Lavender's Pokémon Tower. Oh, and your Gyarados has seen to it that you won," he added, glancing over at Kraken. The Gyarados was gaping in horror at Battery's dead body.

"Kraken..." murmured Axel as he hugged his Gyarados, attempting to comfort him. "He was my... he was our best friend." The Gyarados gave a low, rumbling, yet somehow sad growl in response. "I... I miss him..."

"Monchan," came a voice behind him. Axel turned to see Kiyo's Hitmonchan, conscious once more, head bowed as he looked sadly at the Pikachu whose life he ended.

Kraken started to growl, but Axel held up a hand to stop him. "Kraken, look at him," Axel whispered. "You know he didn't mean to... No good can come from taking this out on him."

"Hitmon," Hitmonchan replied, looking back up and giving a grateful smile to Axel. Then, Hitmonchan turned to his Trainer. "Hitmon, Hitmon chan chan. Chan, Hitmonchan, hitmon Hitmonchan chan?"

"What-" began Axel, but he stopped as Kiyo nodded.

"I understand, my friend," Kiyo replied, before handing a Poké Ball to Axel. "My Hitmonchan... he has won me many victories, but this is the first time he has ever ended a fight in... this particular matter," he said, choosing his words carefully. "He feels a deep remorse for what has happened, and is intent on making amends as best he can. To that end, my Hitmonchan wishes to join your team."

"Wha- Hitmonchan, is this true?" asked Axel.

"Hitmon, Hitmonchan," nodded Hitmonchan.

Axel turned to face Kraken. "What do you think?" he asked. "Too soon?"

Kraken did not answer right away. His first instinct, true enough, was to Bite the Hitmonchan into a bloody pulp, but as he looked down at Battery's body once again, the Gyarados knew in his heart that Battery wouldn't approve. And that Pikachu had been his mentor, his role model, his best friend, so what Battery would've thought mattered a great deal to Kraken. He turned to face Hitmonchan and gave a nod.

"Well, that's good enough for me," Axel said with a small, brave smile. "Welcome to the team, Hitmonchan. What say I call you... Hammer?

"Hitmon!" nodded the Hitmonchan in approval. With that, Axel took the ball in his hand and withdrew his new Hitmonchan, trying to not think about the fact that the ball was not being sent to PC storage.


	27. Funeral At Pokémon Tower

The trip to Lavender Town was a solemn one. What was particularly difficult was Axel having to break the news to the rest of the team, as well as introducing them to Hammer. To put it mildly, it was an awkward moment. Ozone and Itchy were less than welcoming towards the Hitmonchan, but Kraken forbade any of them from taking out their frustrations on the Fighting-type. Eventually, the rest of the team grudgingly welcomed Hammer to the team.

A memorial service was held on the ground floor of Pokémon Tower. Unlike the tombstones that had been carved for Flutters and Vlad, Axel and his team took special care with Battery's tombstone. Roughly-carved wasn't gonna cut it with this one, none of them would have it. Hammer in particular insisted on helping in any way he could, and helped to carve the epitaph. When they were all finished, it read, "Here lies Battery the Pikachu, faithful to the end. If you ever were to meet him, he'd have been your best friend."

"...It's beautiful," Axel murmured as Hammer showed him the finished tombstone.

It was a small funeral, but Axel was grateful that anyone came at all. His mother, Professor Oak, Zack and Daisy Oak, Kiyo, even Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader, they all came to pay their respects. And of course, Axel's Raticate, Pidgeotto, Nidoking, Gyarados, Ivysaur, and Hitmonchan were adamant about staying out of their Poké Balls for the duration of the funeral.

"As soon as I saw those two working together in battle, I knew something special was born," Oak was saying quietly. "I can't believe this happened."

"I never would've seen it coming, either," agreed Brock. "Do you know that he used Battery to finish off my Onix? True story. That Boulder Badge is just as much Battery's as it is Axel's."

"For all my taunting," Kiyo sighed, "I was certain he would pull through and give me an excellent fight. There was something about him that made you think you you were in for a tough fight."

Once everyone else had left, Zack approached Axel. "Hey, Axel," he greeted his rival. "How're you holding up?"

Axel sighed. "Alright, I guess, all things considered," he replied. "Glad you came, Zack."

"I was here anyway," Zack admitted. "I would've asked what brings you here, except, y'know..." he turned to look at Battery's tombstone. "...it's kinda obvious. So, Axel, I've been thinking- what you need is something to take your mind off of things right now."

"What'd you have in mind?" asked Axel.

Zack gave a small grin. "Well, your other Pokémon may not be dead... but I can at least make them faint. Let's go, pal!"

Axel gave a small smile in response. A Pokémon fight between two friendly rivals? True enough, that was sounding like a good idea. And it's not like Battery would mind- in fact, if anything, Battery would want Axel to continue, to carry on. "OK, Zack," grinned Axel. "You're on."

"There's the Axel I know," Zack grinned back, throwing a Poké Ball. "Fearow!"

"Ozone!" called Axel, throwing a ball of his own. As soon as the pair of avian adversaries were out in the open, the battle began.

"Use Swift!" ordered Axel.

"Fury Attack!" commanded Zack.

Fearow soared forward, muscling through the multiple stars that slammed into its body, and struck Ozone with its long and powerful beak multiple times. The Pidgeotto responded with a second Swift attack, which sent Fearow tumbling to the ground.

"Fearow, come back!" said Zack, holding out one ball while throwing another. "Shellder!"

"Come back now, Ozone!" called Axel, eyeing the Water-type Zack had sent out while throwing another Poké Ball. "Ragweed! Vine Whip!"

"Saur!" Ragweed shouted, slamming Shellder with a pair of vines. This attack knocked it out instantly, prompting Zack to send in a Vulpix instead.

"Ragweed, get back!" Axel exclaimed- his Poké Balls were like blurs by now as the battle raged on. "Hammer, go! Use Submission!"

"Hitmon!" grunted Hammer. He lunged at Vulpix and wrestled with it until the Fire-type passed out. Hammer backed off very quickly after that- after what had happened the last time he had battled, he wasn't taking chances, especially now that Axel used some Technical Machines to teach him new and more powerful attacks.

"Now Vulpix, come back!" called Zack, throwing yet another ball. "Sandshrew!"

Axel, meanwhile, did not withdraw his Hitmonchan. "Hammer, Double-Edge!" he ordered.

"Monchan!" Hammer responded, charging forward and ramming into the Ground-type with great force.

"Use Scratch!" commanded Zack.

"Sa-shrew!" hissed Sandshrew, taking a swipe at Hitmonchan with its claws.

"Hammer! Seismic Toss!" called Axel.

"Hitmon... CHAN!" Hammer replied as it picked Sandshrew up, swung it around, and tossed it across the room, albeit more gently than Axel would've liked.

"Sandshrew, get back!" Zack called, the Poké Ball already shooting the beam of red light and withdrawing the Ground-type. Then, he threw another ball. "Go, Eevee!"

"Use Submission!" Axel called out.

"Hitmon..." Hammer murmured uncertainly, before charging forward- Hammer used, instead, Double-Edge. In response, Eevee let out a Growl that sent a shiver down Hammer's spine.

"Hammer, get your head in the game!" Axel encouraged the Hitmonchan. "Seismic Toss!"

"Chan..." sighed Hammer, but he obeyed nonetheless- picked up Eevee and tossed it across the room where it stirred weakly.

"Come back, Eevee!" said Zack, holding out Eevee's Poké Ball. "Heh... you stinker," he said, though with a small grin. "Took it easy on you, too."

"I get the feeling you're not the only one who took it easy," Axel replied with a look at his Hitmonchan, who was looking down sheepishly.

"Yeah, I noticed," Zack nodded. "So, how's the Pokédex coming? You know you can catch Cubone in here? Just caught one myself the other day. It's in the PC, though, or you'd have seen it here. Hey, um, by the way, maybe come here a second?" he added, an odd tone to his voice. Axel nodded and followed Zack over to a corner near the stairs... he gasped as he saw the tombstone Zack was kneeling down next to- the one erected in memory of "Zack Oak's Rattata".

"So that's why you were already here," murmured Axel.

Zack nodded. "Yeah," he replied quietly. "Didn't even know you could catch Cubone here until I actually found one. You know Team Rocket's been here, too? Apparently they actually killed a Marowak who was trying to defend her son against them- they've been stealing Cubone skulls to sell on the black market."

"Lousy rotten Rockets," grumbled Axel. "What low won't they stoop to?"

"It's disgusting," Zack agreed. "Tried to find another Marowak around here to catch, but I doubt there are any left... Well, I better get going," he added a moment later. "I got stuff to do... sorry again about Battery."

"Thanks," smiled Axel. "That means a lot."

"Heh... Smell ya later," Zack grinned back, and with that, he exited the tower.

Axel smiled, reflecting on how he and Zack used to loathe each other... Then, he turned around and jumped back, for he found his face two inches from that of an older woman, who was staring straight at him. She wasn't ugly, but it still startled him. "GAH!" he exclaimed.

"I am a Channeler," the woman stated, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "There are spirits, higher up in the tower, up to mischief! You... That device in your bag... Perhaps you have what it takes to see past the spirits' disguises and soothe them."

"Wha- me?" Axel asked. "I mean, I do have a Silph Scope, but you think I have what it takes to stop a bunch of mischievous ghosts?"

"Well, I didn't at first," admitted the Channeler. "But... your Pikachu convinced me otherwise," she added.

Axel blinked. "What?" he said.

The Channeler smiled. "I have also been spoken to by your Metapod and Zubat," she added. "They back up your Pikachu's claims."

"Monchan," murmured Hammer, looking thoroughly bewildered by all this talk of this woman speaking to the dead.

"Ah, you," the Channeler added, turning to Hammer. "The Pikachu has a message for you; there are no hard feelings. You can stop holding back. I know you do not wish to kill again, but by holding back your true strength, you are disrespecting Axel."

"Hit?!" Hammer squeaked, wide-eyed at the notion that Battery, the deceased Pikachu, was sending him a message from beyond the grave.

"Hammer," Axel said, "They're right. I saw you holding back against Zack's Pokémon. I asked for a Submission and you used Double-Edge instead. What happened with Battery was a freak accident. I know you're stronger than what you did in that battle, and there's no problem with showing it. OK?"

Hammer sighed, but then met Axel's gaze, looking resolute. "Hitmonchan!" he nodded.

Axel smiled at this. Then, he withdrew his Hitmonchan and ascended the stairs, intent on climbing further up into the tower.


	28. The Ghost With The Most

The first couple of floors didn't provide much distraction for Axel, but as he continued to climb, things started to weird him out. As he reached the third floor, several more Channelers approached him, though they were moving oddly, almost as though possessed. They each sent out an eerie purple spherical Pokémon surrounded in ominous lavender gas. Recognizing these as Gastly, Axel sent out Itchy, who defeated them all with Dig (somehow, despite being in a multi-level building, though Axel wasn't really thinking about that at the moment). When each Channeler's Gastly lost, they seemed to go back to normal. What was more, Axel even encountered a wild Gastly. It was disguising itself as an eerie, unidentifiable spirit, but the Silph Scope quickly unmasked the disguise. While it was distracted by this, Axel threw a Great Ball, and the next thing he knew, Mortimer the Gastly was being transported to the PC storage system.

"All right!" grinned Axel. "I just caught a Gastly!" He paused at that moment, almost certain he had heard a very, very faint "Pi Pikachu!". So faint that he wasn't a hundred percent sure he had even heard it... but he liked to think that Battery was still cheering him on.

As Axel continued to climb, the floors and battles that followed were so uneventful that to describe them in text would be a monotonous, boring disservice to any hypothetical readers. On one floor, a Channeler ushered him over to a purified, protected zone- a couple of tiles she purified with white magic. As Axel stepped into the space, he felt refreshed, and had the oddest feeling that so did his Pokémon.

And then, as Axel reached another staircase, he heard an eerie voice. "Be gone... Intruders..." Axel stopped short, for a formidable-looking ghost was forming before him. Acting fast, he held the Silph Scope up to his eyes, and could see a different sight- it looked like a Cubone, but... bigger. And the skull fit better. And then, a small lens on the front of the Silph Scope shone a ray of light on the ghost, revealing its true identity.

"Marowak..." murmured Axel.

"Maro..." the ghost hissed, the voice eerily echoing as it brandished its bone club threateningly. Its eyes could not be seen- instead, the eye holes in its skull were pure black. This, Axel realized, must be the Marowak that the Rockets killed. He threw a Poké Ball, and Ragweed materialized, the Ivysaur looking up at the deceased Ground-type before him.

"Ragweed... if we defeat her, she may calm down," Axel suggested. "Use Vine Whip.

"Saur!" Ragweed exclaimed, slamming his vines into the ghostly Ground-type. In response, Marowak floated down and swung its Bone Club right into the Ivysaur's head. He stumbled backwards, but struck back with another Vine Whip. This one sent Marowak's ghost flying back into the wall- that's literally into the wall. She phased right through it. However, she floated back out, her entire body trembling with rage.

"...We just made her angry," Axel realized, his heart sinking.

"MARO! WAAAAAK!" roared the ghost, her voice echoing throughout the building. A ghostly aura formed all around her as she gripped her bone club tightly, brought it up over her head...

"Pika!"

Axel's jaw dropped. Another ghost had rose up through the floor, and was holding back the bone club, preventing Marowak's murderous rage from being taken out on Ragweed. A small ghost. A small, yellow ghost with red cheeks and a lightning-shaped tail.

"Saur?!" gasped Ragweed.

"Battery?!" exclaimed Axel.

"Pika pika, Pikachu!" Battery exclaimed, desperately talking Marowak down. "Pi Pikachu chu, Pika Pikachu!"

"Maro..." murmured Marowak. Whether it was Battery's words, or whether being held back that long allowed her to calm down somewhat, she looked a lot less murderous now. And now Axel could actually see her eyes. Marowak turned to face Battery and nodded understandingly, before floating up towards the ceiling, getting less and less visible by the second, until she vanished completely.

Immediately, the atmosphere of the tower seemed to lighten. The Channelers on their floor seemed to notice it as well. But Axel was only focused on the ghost in front of him, now smiling as he hovered before his former Trainer.

"Battery..." murmured Axel. "You saved us. Thank you. And... that was you when I caught Mortimer, wasn't it?" he added.

"Pi Pikachu!" smiled Battery, sounding exactly like he always did after Axel caught a Pokémon. Axel gave a small chuckle, and reached out to Battery. The Electric-type ghost flew into Axel's arms, and at that moment, Axel learned one important fact about ghosts- if they willed it, you were able to hug them. The fact that Battery was now a ghost didn't even change how it felt- for one brief, beautiful moment, Axel felt like he had his friend back.

Poké Balls started bursting open all at once on Axel's belt. Kraken appeared, managing to fit inside the building. Ozone appeared, flapping her wings to hover in midair. Itchy appeared. Needles appeared. And Hammer appeared. Battery floated down to each one of them, speaking what had to be words of comfort to them, hugging each one of them. After finally letting go of Kraken (the Gyarados was holding back tears at this point), Battery floated over to Hammer, who was looking down shamefully.

"Hitmon..." sighed Hammer. Tears started falling to the floor, directly beneath where his eyes were.

"Pika," Battery replied. Hammer hesitated, but then looked up and met the Pikachu's gaze. Axel smiled- he had said all along that Battery wouldn't have held a grudge. That Channeler on the ground floor said so as well. But now, here it was, proof of that fact that Hammer couldn't refute, straight from the source. The look on Battery's face was a friendly one, one of peace, one of forgiveness. "Pika Pikachu, Pika pika," Battery was saying, now making all sorts of gestures, including pointing to Axel at some points, and making punching motions that highly resembled the Comet Punch attack Hammer once knew, and used to end Battery's life in the first place. Finally, Battery floated close to the Hitmonchan and hugged him. Tearfully, the Hitmonchan hugged him back.

Axel smiled the whole time this happened. He knew nothing of Pokémon language, nor did he ever expect that to change, but knowing Battery as he did, he knew what had to have been said there... Battery had told Hammer that he forgave the Hitmonchan completely for ending his life, and that he would be doing Axel a great disservice by not battling at his full strength. He told Hammer that even if, Mew forbid, he ends up killing again, he can't just be afraid to go all-out ever again. It was a freak accident. Pokémon getting killed in battle, it hardly ever happened. If it was that common, the Pokémon League would outlaw Pokémon fights altogether.

It then came time for Battery to leave. Just as Marowak had departed to the afterlife, it was time for Battery to do likewise. Slowly, the Pikachu rose upwards, waving to his friends as he became less and less visible, until he vanished altogether. At the same time, it felt like a heavy weight was lifted off of Axel's heart- like he could finally come to terms with Battery's death, like he could finally let go. Withdrawing his Pokémon, Axel headed up the stairs. This had to be the top floor, for he saw no stairs- just a long corridor with an elderly man kneeling before a gravestone at the other end. He took a step forward, and then came a voice that abruptly ruined the peaceful mood.

"Stop right there!"


	29. Mr Fuji's Gift

Axel gritted his teeth- Jessie, James, and Meowth were stepping forward. "Heh," James chuckled. "Grampa here wanted to complain," he said, with a glance back at the elderly man. "So we're setting him straight."

"So render yourself invisible, or prepare to fight!" Jessie added.

"Meowth! Dat's right!" Meowth chimed in, stepping forward with his claws extended.

"I hate you guys," growled Axel, throwing a Poké Ball. "Ragweed, Leech Seed!"

Meowth responded with a Pay Day attack, after which the two started exchanging Vine Whip and Bite attacks. Eventually, however, Meowth caved in and ran back to Jessie and James, who shook their heads.

"Pathetic," snapped Jessie as she threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Arbok!"

"Come back, Ragweed! Go, Itchy!" shouted Axel, withdrawing his Ivysaur as he sent out his Raticate. "Dig attack!"

Again, Axel didn't know how it was possible to use Dig in a building like this, least of all on the top floor, but the Raticate got it done somehow, and took Arbok out in one blow, prompting James to throw a Poké Ball. "Go, Weezing!" he exclaimed as a two-headed gas cloud appeared before him.

"Dig!" repeated Axel.

"Tackle!" ordered James.

Itchy was faster, however, and had burrowed underground (underfloor?) before Weezing could reach it. Once it had resurfaced, however, Weezing took the hit and retaliated with Tackle, but Itchy was able to knock it out with another Dig.

"You will regret this!" threatened Jessie as James withdrew Weezing.

"It looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" James added, and with that, he raced down the stairs, his teammates hastening to follow him.

Axel watched as the crooks rushed down the stairs, shaking his head in disgust. Then, he remembered the other person on the floor, and rushed over to the elderly man who was still kneeling. "Hey, excuse me, sir, are you OK?" asked Axel.

The old man smiled at Axel. "Yes, thank you," he replied. "I actually came here of my own free will. Team Rocket came with their intent of harvesting more Cubone skulls, so I tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn't hear any of it. And I don't have any Pokémon of my own on me, whereas they did, so I did the only thing I could- I prayed for the soul of Cubone's mother. But... I think Marowak's soul has departed to the afterlife now," he added. "The atmosphere in the tower changed... surely you felt it?"

Axel nodded. "I actually saw the spirit of Marowak. She tried to attack me, so my Ivysaur defended me, but we just ended up angering her further. And then... and then, another ghost came to our rescue," he added, with a small smile. "A real friend of mine... Battery. He was my Pikachu. He managed to calm Marowak down just by talking."

"This Battery sounds like a remarkable Pokémon," smiled the man. "Ah, forgive me- I forgot to introduce myself. I am docto- er, Mr. Fuji," he hastily amended, shaking his head. "Excuse me. Now, what was your name?" he asked.

"Axel, sir," replied Axel. "And this is Itchy, my Raticate."

"Rrrrraticate!" Itchy greeted Mr. Fuji.

Fuji smiled down at the Raticate. "Hello, Itchy," he said warmly. "Axel, I must thank you for your kind concern for me. Follow me to my home, Pokémon House, at the foot of this tower," he offered. And with that, he led the way down the tower's numerous staircases. The difference in the atmosphere was even more noticeable, especially when it came to the Pokémon- the Gastly and Haunter weren't agitated anymore, and even the Cubone they saw looked rather happy.

Once they had left the tower, they entered a small house. Several Pokémon and people were inside, the latter caring for the former. Axel soon learned- Mr. Fuji took in abandoned Pokémon and cared for them, not unlike Melanie in Cerulean City.

"Axel," Fuji said to Axel as he rummaged through a desk drawer. "Your Pokédex quest you told me about, it may fail without love for your Pokémon. But I'm sure that won't be an issue for you," he added with a warm smile. "I think this may help your quest," he added, as he finally produced what appeared to be a flute with a Poké Ball stuck onto one end, and handed it to Axel.

"Ooh... what is it?" asked Axel.

"A Poké Flute," Fuji replied. "Upon hearing Poké Flute, sleeping Pokémon will spring awake. It works on all sleeping Pokémon."

Sleeping Pokémon... the phrase rang a bell in Axel's mind. And then, his eyes widened as he realized just what he could use this flute for. "Thank you," he said to Mr. Fuji, as he exited Pokémon House. He swung by the Pokémon Center to get his Pokémon checked out, followed by a brief trip to the Pokémart, and then he started to head south, back to Route 12. He had some business to take care of...


	30. Let Sleeping Snorlax Lie

Axel approached the gigantic dark blue blob. It was still lying on its back, still sound asleep, still oblivious to the fact that it was still blocking the path. The same Fisherman from before watched curiously as Axel walked up to the Snorlax, and dug the Poké Flute out of his backpack. He put the instrument to his lips and began to play a simple tune.

The effect was immediate. The snores subsided, and were replaced by grumpy grunts. "Snor? Snooorlaaaaaax!" Snorlax bellowed as it shifted its great body, climbing to its feet, an impressive feat considering its rotund bulk. It glared down at Axel, roaring angrily.

"Oh, great- now you've just angered it!" the Fisherman exclaimed. Ignoring him, Axel threw a Poké Ball.

"Go! Kraken!" Axel shouted as his Gyarados appeared, splashing down into the nearby water. "Use Ice Beam!"

Kraken roared loudly as it fired a blast of icy energy at Snorlax, who grunted as it took the attack. Then, Snorlax responded by leaning forward, slamming its head into Kraken. The Headbutt attack didn't seem to faze Kraken much, though it definitely had an effect. Axel ordered another Ice Beam, and the two exchanged the same attacks once more.

"One more time! Use Ice Beam!" Axel commanded.

Kraken, shrieking loudly, fired off a third Ice Beam, but this time, a thick layer of ice spread out all across Snorlax's huge body from the point where the move made contact. Axel grinned as the ice coated Snorlax completely, freezing it solid.

"Whoa!" the Fisherman exclaimed, sounding more exited than upset by this point.

"Now! Go, Great Ball!" Axel called, throwing the enhanced Poké Ball at the frozen Snorlax. It sucked the Snorlax inside, fell to the ground, and wobbled back and forth... and then shattered into pieces as Snorlax reappeared, complete with icy layer. "What?!" Axel exclaimed- Snorlax was showing no signs of breaking out of the ice, so how did it break out of the ball?!

The Gyarados gave a questioning roar, but Axel shook his head.

"No," he replied. "No, no more attacks, Kraken. I think we got this, we just need to be patient. With that, Axel turned his hat backwards and threw another blue-and-white sphere at the colossal Normal-type. "Go, Great Ball!"

Once more, Snorlax was sucked into the sphere, and once more it fell to the ground. It wobbled back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... and was still.

"Yes!" cheered Axel as the ball containing Homer the Snorlax was transported to the PC storage system. "I just caught a Snorlax!" In response, Kraken roared happily, trying to mimic how Battery always used to chime in after a successful catch.

With that done, Axel continued down the now-available path, further down Route 12, where a great number of Trainers awaited. The first one he fought, a Rocker, used a Voltorb and Electrode- Ragweed took out the Voltorb, even learning Razor Leaf in the process, while Hammer, no longer holding back, defeated the Electrode. Past there, Axel rested in a small shack where there lived a man who claimed to be the brother to some Fishing Guru. He gave Axel a Super Rod before the Trainer left.

The path curved, now leading west as Route 12 became Route 13, and the docks gave way to dry land once more as Axel battled his way through. His Pokémon were all doing great, but Kraken was stealing the show- without Battery around, the Gyarados seemed determined to fill the late Pikachu's unofficial role of team leader, to prove that Battery's faith in the former Magikarp was not misplaced. Kraken even got Axel to use his TM24 to teach him Thunderbolt. And then, as Axel explored the maze that had been made of Silence Bridge on Route 13, he came to a patch of grass concealed behind a tree (which Ragweed chopped down with little issue).

Axel looked curiously at the patch of grass- some of it was rustling, and the rustling was coming his way. It came closer and closer... Axel braced himself as whatever it was was preparing to jump out...

"Bellsprout."

Axel blinked- it was a Bellsprout. A Grass and Poison-type which looked distinctly non-threatening. Axel chuckled, and sure enough, three shakes of a Great Ball later, Chompy the Bellsprout was on his way to PC storage.

The Trainers Axel continued to encounter ranged from Bikers to Beauties to Bird Keepers, and Kraken, Ragweed, and Ozone continued to make short work of them all. And then...

"Come back, Pidgeotto!" the Bird Keeper exclaimed, holding out a Poké Ball. Once his fallen Pidgeotto was withdrawn, he put the ball back in a birdcage he carried with him, and took another ball out and threw it. "Go, Fearow!" he exclaimed.

"Get back, Ragweed!" Axel advised his Ivysaur as he threw a Poké Ball of his own. "Kraken! Ice Beam!" he ordered, his Gyarados already firing the attack as he emerged from his ball.

"Saur," Ragweed grinned proudly. Sure, it had taken him a bit longer than the one-hit KO Kraken just delivered that Fearow, but he had still taken out the Pidgeotto, despite the type disadvantage. As far as Ragweed was concerned, that was awesome right there.

As the Bird Keeper payed out the prize money to Axel, Ragweed's body began to glow brightly. Axel nearly dropped his winnings as he watched his Ivysaur grow drastically in size, his flower blooming magnificently. And then, finally, the glowing faded. "SAAAAAAUR!" Ragweed roared happily, having evolved into a Venusaur.

Not long after that, Silence Bridge came to an end, letting Axel off on Route 14. And the first thing Axel saw was more tall grass blocked off by more trees. Of course, this was no problem for the newly-evolved Ragweed, and before too long, Axel was approaching the grass-

"Oddish odd!"

Axel looked down- it was a small blue Pokémon with leaves growing out of its head. Axel had seen these before, but only under the ownership of other Trainers. And now, he'd see Maggie the Oddish under his own ownership, as the Great Ball she was caught in was transported to the PC.

More Pokémon fights were to follow, which were so uneventful that to describe them in text would be doing a great disservice to any potential readers. The worst that happened was when a Muk's Poison Gas poisoned Ozone, prompting Axel to administer an Antidote once the Biker had been defeated.

Finally, a long, straight stretch of land seemed to be all that separated Axel from Fuchsia City. Well, that, and a bunch of Trainers and tall grass, anyway. After battling a Jr. Trainer and a Beauty, Axel ventured into the tall grass. However, none of the local wild Pokémon seemed to catch his eye. Pidgeotto, Oddish, Bellsprout- he had all those already! Rather than waste his time trying to catch stuff he already had, Axel turned his attention back to the Trainers.

At long last, Axel arrived in Fuchsia City, and not a moment too soon- his team was flat-out exhausted. Half of them were paralyzed from various Stun Spore attacks, and Ragweed was in rather bad shape, having taken some seriously powerful Acid attacks from a Jr. Trainer's Bellsprout. However, the Nurse Joy at the local Pokémon Center saw to it that they all made a full recovery. Relieved at this news, Axel took a room at the Pokémon Center, flopping down on his bed and going to sleep almost immediately. It had been a truly tiring day.


	31. Going On Safari

The next day, Axel didn't feel like tackling Fuchsia City's Gym just yet. Instead, he spent some time exploring the area, tackling the local Trainers. A couple of Swimmers came at him with Water Pokémon on the beach to the south, while off to the west, some Bird Keepers came at him with Flying-types, including a particularly vicious Dodrio whose Drill Peck delivered some devastating damage to Kraken. Thankfully, the Dodrio was defeated without anything drastic having to happen, but it was still rather close for Axel's liking. They needed more training, he realized, so he brought out his bike and started to ride.

The west half of Route 18 was part of Kanto's Cycling Road- a huge hill which people could only use Bikes to travel up or down. As such, numerous Bikers, as well as big, hulking Cue Balls on motorcycles, called this place home. But before Axel started to pedal up the hill, he decided to give his new Super Rod a try.

"...Oh! It's a bite!" Axel exclaimed, feeling a tug on the line at long last. He reeled it in, and despite the struggling, his catch was thrust onto dry land.

"Tentacooool!" it exclaimed as it flopped around. Axel looked down at the Tentacool, and after a moment, instead of sending something out to battle it, decided to take his chances with a Great Ball. And it paid off as Ruby the Tentacool was sent to the PC.

And then, Axel turned around and began to pedal up the long, steep hill. It was the most tiring bike ride of his life, and he felt immense relief as he neared the top of the hill. However, said relief was swiftly replaced with apprehension- numerous Bikers and Cue Balls, all of them seated on intimidating motorcycles, were sneering at him.

"Heh, look at the wimpy kid," smirked one of the Bikers. "Thinking he and his wimpy Bicycle are such hot stuff.

"I dunno," argued one of the Cue Balls, eyeing Axel curiously. "The kid just rode to the top of Cycling Road, no motor or nothing. That ain't easy, know what I mean?" The others murmured their agreement to this sentiment.

"All right," said another Cue Ball. "You got our interest, but let's see if you're worth the Kanto Pokémon Federation's time. Let's see what you're really made of, kid. Go!" he exclaimed, throwing a bunch of Poké Balls into the air. The Bikers and other Cue Balls followed suit, and Axel was surrounded on all sides. Machop and Mankey, Koffing and Grimer, Weezing and Muk, Machoke and Primeape, even a Voltorb or two.

Axel looked all around. There were a lot of Pokémon to go up against... but then again, his team had seen him through some pretty tough challenges. He threw two Poké Balls into the air, and Kraken and Needles emerged. Needles lunged into a pack of Koffing and started to Thrash about, whereas Kraken fired a Bubble Beam at a Weezing.

The Kanto Pokémon Federation seemed to approve, and they all started giving their Pokémon orders at once. In response, Axel sent out more Pokémon, and the fighting intensified. Hammer was able to destroy an enemy Muk with Seismic Toss and Double-Edge, though Axel did need to administer an Antidote afterwards; Needles had defeated the Koffing and was now Thrashing his way through a pack of Mankey; Ragweed's Razor Leaf mowed down the pair of Voltorb, a Machoke, and a Primeape; Ozone's Fly was taking out Fighting-types left and right; Itchy's Dig was working wonders against the Poison-types.

Finally, as Ozone's Fly knocked out one final Machop, it was finished. Axel's Pokémon were the only ones left standing, and a stunned silence had fallen over the Bikers and Cue Balls.

"So can I get through now?" Axel asked, breaking the silence.

The Bikers and Cue Balls exchanged looks, muttering among themselves for a moment, before one Cue Ball stepped forward. "You got it, kid," he grinned. "Before you leave, though, just lemme say that on behalf of the Kanto Pokémon Federation, you got our apologies for underestimating youse. You're all right, kid. Consider yourself an honorary member from here on in, OK? And make no mistake, we'll make it up to you for putting you through all this." The other members nodded and murmured their agreement at this point. "So, you got a name, kid?" added the Cue Ball.

"The name's Axel," Axel grinned. "And thanks. See you guys around."

With that, Axel rode off, through the guardhouse and back onto a familiar road. Lying before him in the road was a sight he'd seen before, a great blue blob sprawled out before him, snoring peacefully. Sighing, Axel stowed away the Bicycle in his backpack, and took out his Poké Flute. He played a simple tune on it, with Hammer's Poké Ball in his hand. Sure enough, when Snorlax woke up, it was angry and ready for a fight. One Submission attack later, however, and the belligerent blubber ball was waddling back towards the mountains.

"Come back, Hammer," grinned Axel. He saw Celadon City not too far ahead of him, but he turned back- he'd already seen Celadon City. Fuchsia City, on the other hand, that place was new to him. He wanted to see what it had to offer.

The ride back down Cycling Road was significantly shorter and easier, partly because the Kanto Pokémon Federation no longer had a beef with him, but mostly because the ride was friggin' downhill. No pedaling was required, just a little bit of steering. Sure enough, before Axel knew it, he was leaving the Pokémon Center, his partners pronounced to be fighting fit, and he was eager to see what the city had to offer.

The city was a big one, the trees making it more like a maze. But after some navigation, Axel made his way through the Pokémon Zoo, which allowed him to see such rare specimens as Lapras, Chansey, Kangaskhan, and even Omanyte, a seemingly extinct Pokémon. And then he came across a large building, a gate between Fuchsia City and a vast, sprawling plain.

"Welcome to the Safari Zone!" a man greeted Axel once he stepped inside.

"The what?" asked Axel.

"Alright, see, basically this is a park where rare Pokémon are free to live," explained the man. "Some of the Pokémon here are stuff you can catch elsewhere, but there are some Pokémon in here you ain't gonna see nowhere else in Kanto, alright? Now, you pay 500 Pokédollars, and you get 30 Safari Balls. You can roam around for a limited time, catch whatever you find- but you can't send out Pokémon of your own to weaken anything- and whatever you catch, any items you find in there, they're yours for the taking. And for a limited time only, we got a special campaign going- find the Secret House in the deepest part of the Safari Zone, and you win an extra special Hidden Machine! So, what say you? Would you like to join the hunt?"

"Would I!" Axel exclaimed. This sounded like a perfect way to spend his day- they didn't have anything like this back in Pallet Town!

"Alright," grinned the man as Axel paid him the entry fee. "Here's your Safari Balls, and here's a bag of Pokémon bait- you can throw this to try and stop wild Pokémon from running away. And, that's it! Go on, enjoy yourself, we'll call you on the PA if you run out of time or Safari Balls!"

Axel did not need telling twice. He stepped out into the vast outdoor expanse behind the building, gaping in awe and wonder at the beauty of the park. He roamed around, seeing vague shapes of wild Pokémon in the distance, but none that came close to him. He headed off to the eastern part of the park, and as he started to climb onto a rock to get a better look at his surroundings, he heard a bellowing sound from behind him. Axel turned to look- a brawny brown bovine was charging, though thankfully not at him. However, he stopped in his tracks as he noticed Axel, eyeing the Trainer curiously.

"A Tauros!" Axel breathed- he had never seen a real Tauros in person before! He dug into the bag the man had handed him, extracting a Poké Ball where the top half was covered in a camouflage pattern. "Oh, I can't pass this up. Go, Safari Ball!" he exclaimed, throwing the sphere at the Tauros.

The sphere struck Tauros, who mooed in protest as it was pulled inside. However, as the ball fell to the ground, it wobbled back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... and then, after what felt like an eternity, it fell still.

"Are you kidding me?! Yes! I just caught a Tauros!" Axel cheered, happily celebrating as Angus the Tauros was transferred to the PC storage system.

Axel navigated the Safari Zone, still so ecstatic about having successfully caught such a rare Pokémon as Tauros on his very first try that he was able to tune out any and all other wild Pokémon that he saw. The Nidorina, the Exeggcute, the pair of Rhyhorn, the pair of Nidoran (one of each), none of them caught his attention. Admittedly, under ordinary circumstances the Rhyhorn and Exeggcute would've caught his interest, but the Tauros was still on his mind. He hadn't even encountered a Trainer with a Tauros at all on his journey!

Eventually, Axel came to a signpost, where a request was displayed for Safari Zone patrons to keep an eye out for the Safari Zone warden's Gold Teeth. Axel raised an eyebrow, silently questioning the practicality of solid gold dentures, but searched for them nevertheless. It took him less than a minute to spot the set of dentures on the ground. Using a thick piece of cloth to pick them up, Axel placed the extravagant dental hardware in his backpack. And then, he saw a nondescript shack, tucked away among the foliage. It looked pretty well hidden... perhaps even secret. Could this be...?

"Ah! Finally!" exclaimed a man as Axel slowly entered the building. "You're the first person to reach the Secret House!"

"So this IS the Secret House!" grinned Axel.

"Indeed it is, sonny!" the man replied happily. "I was getting worried that nobody would ever win our campaign prize. Congratulations- you have won!" And he handed Axel a deep blue disc as he said this. "HM03 is Surf! Pokémon will be able to ferry you across water, as long as you have the badge from Fuchsia City's Gym. And even then, it's an extremely powerful Water attack to use in battle! You're super lucky for winning this fabulous prize!"

Axel certainly felt super lucky. As he exited the Secret House, he wasted no time in using his new HM on Kraken. And then, a ding-dong sound emerged from a nearby speaker.

"Axel Ketchum!" came a voice over the speaker. "Axel Ketchum, time is up! Your Safari Game is over! Please report to the gate immediately. Do not catch any more Pokémon. Do not pick up any more items. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundre- ow!" the voice exclaimed, for it sounded as though someone had slapped the speaker. "What the hell was that for?!" An indistinct muttering told Axel that the man was getting an answer from someone not quite so near the microphone. "But it's funny!" whined the first man in response to this muttering. Axel chuckled and started to make his way back to the entrance, listening with great amusement as the two men proceeded to argue, seemingly forgetting that the PA system was still on.


	32. If These Walls Were Visible

Between Cycling Road and the Safari Zone, the day was almost done. Before Axel turned in for the night, he made sure to ask directions to, and swing by, the Safari Zone Warden's home. The Warden, an elderly man, was thrilled to have his teeth back, and in his gratitude, gave Axel yet another Hidden Machine. This one was for teaching Strength, a powerful Normal move that also allowed the user to move huge boulders around outside of battle. After due deliberation, Axel finally decided to teach the move to Hammer. The Hitmonchan raised no objections to this, and if anything, looked rather eager to help out. In fact, he started by shoving aside a large boulder the Warden had in his own house, revealing a small room containing a Rare Candy. The Warden explained he had that boulder so Trainers he gave Strength HMs to could have their Pokémon practice, and told Axel that he was free to keep the Rare Candy.

The next morning, Axel awoke bright and early, with only one thing on his mind- the Fuchsia City Pokémon Gym! As he exited the Pokémon Center, he neglected to ask directions, for he already knew where the Gym was- he had passed it several times since coming to town, and knew exactly where it was.

Axel pushed open the doors and strolled inside- the Gym was one large room with a wooden floor. Numerous Jugglers, Tamers, and Cooltrainers stood all around, but in the center of the room stood a crafty-looking man who could only be the Gym Leader. Axel grinned- Gym Leaders didn't usually make it this easy to reach them. Axel stepped forward, eager to get the fight underwa-

THUD

"...I knew this seemed too easy," Axel muffled, peeling himself off of... whatever he had just walked into. He saw nothing there, but as he reached out, he could feel a solid wall in front of him. It was like glass. Like really, really clean glass. Hoping for an explanation, Axel stormed over to the bespectacled man near the entrance who was stifling a chuckle. "Hey, you, what's the deal with this-" Axel began.

"Hey!" a voice interrupted him. Axel turned to see a Juggler approaching him. "Strength isn't the key- it's strategy! Lemme show you just how strategy can beat brute strength! Hypno!" he exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball. Axel looked at the bright yellow human-shaped creature that emerged, a pendulum swinging slowly and creepily from its right hand.

"Itchy!" Axel shouted, throwing a ball of his own, unleashing his Raticate. The Rat Pokémon stood at the ready, awaiting orders. "Use Hyper Fang!" ordered Axel.

"Hypno! Psychic!" the Juggler commanded.

"Rrrrraticate!" Itchy screeched as he lunged forward, sinking his huge teeth into the Psychic-type. Hypno groaned, but narrowed his eyes in fury as it glared down at Itchy.

Axel's look of excitement for the battle mixed with irritation at the wall situation slowly turned to a look of horror. Hypno was using the most powerful Psychic-type technique known to exist, but that wasn't what was bothering him. No, what was bothering Axel was the fact that his Raticate's head had just exploded.

"What... What?" Axel murmured weakly as he looked all around at the gruesome spectacle before him. It was sinking in, but slowly, very slowly. Itchy... it didn't seem possible. The Raticate had been the first Pokémon Axel ever caught. His Hyper Fang could always be counted on to tear through the more stubborn enemies like tissue paper, his Dig was their ace in the hole against Electric-types and their shortcut out of caves... and now Axel's breathing grew heavier as it sank in, as it finally registered with him... as he finally realized that his Raticate was dead.

"...Hypno, what have you done?" the Juggler murmured in horror. "I... I never meant for this-"

"Hyp... Hypno..." Hypno murmured, shaking its head in shock. So shocked was everybody that nobody so much as reacted when Kraken emerged from his ball, and angrily attacked with powerful Bites. Hypno didn't even attempt to fight back- the worst that happened was an involuntary puff of Poison Gas between Bites, and Axel numbly administered an Antidote after the Juggler finally withdrew Hypno.

Later that morning, Axel was kneeling before the tombstone he had placed atop Itchy's grave. The Raticate was buried, and his teammates were grieving. Ozone in particular was taking Itchy's loss hard- the Pidgeotto was like the team's mother, but she and Itchy had always been on particularly good terms.

"I'm sorry," came a voice from behind Axel. He turned to look, and saw the same Juggler from inside the Gym. "My Hypno's always been powerful, but I... he's never... this has never..."

"Hitmon," interrupted Hammer, the Hitmonchan approaching the Juggler, nodding understandingly.

"Hammer's right," Axel said, his voice still weak. "I... I can't blame you for what happened. Itchy's not the first Pokémon I've lost on this journey... So many freak accidents... I... I just can't believe it... Itchy was the first Pokémon I ever caught."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," sighed the Juggler. "Look, here's the thing- if you want to succeed in Fuchsia Gym, it's not just Poison-types you gotta be ready for- it's also Psychic-types. And Psychic is a tough type to beat. Only another Psychic-type can resist Psychic attacks. I mean, I'll understand if you don't wish to use a Psychic-type after what just happened, but-"

"No, no," Axel interrupted, with a brief look at Hammer. "I haven't let that kind of thing deter me in the past... I'm not about to start now. You do make a good point- Psychic power may be just what this team needs..."

Later on, Axel exited the Pokémon Center. He was feeling a little better, but his heart was still heavy over having lost Itchy. Nevertheless, he had to focus- he knew Itchy wouldn't want him to stay unfocused and distracted like this, and he had a new member of the team to train up. Ozone's Fly took them back up to around Celadon City, where the newcomer could train against weaker wild Pokémon. The newcomer needed the help of his teammates, but he was getting closer to their level, slowly but surely.

Eventually, Axel came across a fairly large bird, one which looked extremely familiar to him. "Oh! A Pidgeotto!" he exclaimed, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Remy!" called Axel as a Drowzee appeared, the very same one he caught back on Route 11.

"Drow!" Remy exclaimed in that creepy echoing voice of his.

"Remy, blast it with Psychic! Go!" ordered Axel.

"Drow... zeeeee!" bellowed Remy as a powerful telekinetic blast assaulted the Normal/Flying-type. Pidgeotto squawked in pain, but responded by flapping its wings furiously. Remy stood his ground as the Gust attack tore at it, but he stood his ground.

"Now! Use Headbutt!" Axel called.

"Zeee... drow!" Remy replied as he charged forward, slamming his head into the bird. This was too much for Pidgeotto to take, and it flew away as fast as its wings would carry it.

"Yes!" Axel exclaimed happily... and then, Remy's body began to glow! He grew taller and thinner, a small pendulum formed in his right hand, and when the glow faded, Remy had evolved into a Hypno. It felt strange for Axel, now owning the very species of Pokémon that was responsible for Itchy's demise, but he knew he couldn't punish the Hypno species for the unforeseeable mistake of a single Hypno.

The rest of the day went rather smoothly as Axel and Remy continued to train. Axel was intent on keeping the training going until Remy was ready to fight in Fuchsia Gym.


	33. The Sky's The Limit

It took a lot of training, but at long last, Axel was satisfied that Remy was ready to fight along with his teammates. Their training had moved down to Fuchsia City, and eventually, it got to the point where Remy needed no help at all against the wild Pokémon. Of course, the Gloom and Weepinbell, the Oddish and Bellsprout, and the Venonat, they gave him no trouble to begin with, but when Remy started being able to defeat more wild Pidgeotto without any trouble, that's when Axel started to realize that Remy was ready.

They re-entered Fuchsia Gym, and more of the Gym's Trainers came to challenge Axel. Remy performed rather well, but then...

"Ozone! Attack now! Use Fly!" Axel shouted.

"Pidgeooooo!" trilled Ozone as she dove down at the opposing Drowzee.

"Drowzee, Psychic attack!" ordered the Juggler.

"Drow!" Drowzee exclaimed, its eyes glowing blue.

It happened again. Axel's excited grin turned to a look of horror as feathers and blood flew everywhere. Drowzee, evidently a bit overzealous, had hit a weak spot with Psychic, giving it all it had. Which turned out to be too much.

"No! No, Ozone, no!" Axel screamed. He couldn't help it- first his Raticate, now his Pidgeotto! Two of his Pokémon died in the same Gym!? Why did he even use something other than Remy against a Psychic-type?!

Ozone was buried right next to Itchy. The Raticate and Pidgeotto had such a close bond with each other that it only seemed natural. And as much as Axel felt like grieving and mourning over his Pidgeotto's death, he knew he had to press on. More to the point, he needed another Pokémon that could use Fly, so he withdrew one such Pokémon from the PC and taught it Fly from the HM02. Never did he dream he'd be using that Hidden Machine again...

Unfortunately, Brainstorm the Doduo didn't get the chance to show what he could do. Not too far into his training, a wild Fearow's Peck gored the Twin Bird Pokémon. Axel was horrified- the Fearow, shocked and confused at what had happened, flew off with the Doduo's corpse still impaled on its beak. Now officially convinced that he was cursed with rotten luck, Axel didn't even bother to withdraw Stratos from the PC. He looked down the list at the Pokémon he had, and didn't even know what to think.

"I... I'm a terrible Trainer," Axel murmured. "I lost my Raticate... I lost my Pidgeotto... I couldn't even keep my Doduo alive for two damn minutes!" He banged his fists on the keyboard in frustration, unknowingly withdrawing a Pokémon from the PC. It made its presence known, however, by emerging from its Poké Ball on its own accord.

The small Pokémon looked up at her despondent Trainer. "Vul?" she said softly.

Axel looked down- Sunny, the Vulpix he had bought at the Game Corner. Sighing, he crouched down. "Look, Sunny," he said to the Vulpix, "you don't want me as a Trainer. Pokémon that come into my care tend to meet gruesome ends. I had to watch my Raticate's head explode. I had to watch my Pidgeotto's head explode. I had to watch a Fearow impale my Doduo and fly away with the corpse!" he whimpered, tears coming to his eyes.

"Vul... Vulpix," Sunny replied softly, rearing up and putting her front paws up on her Trainer's legs. The little Fire-type nuzzled her Trainer, not completely sure why he was so sad, but more than willing to help him feel better. And indeed, Axel couldn't help but smile slightly as he felt the Vulpix nuzzling him. They were very warm creatures, and the fact that they were cute didn't hurt one bit. Already Axel was feeling better, and was starting to feel like less of a loser. Nevertheless, Axel knew that Sunny, in her current state, wouldn't be much of a help in the fights to come.

No longer having any means of Flying back to cities he'd been to, Axel rode up Cycling Road instead. In the process, he encountered a Ponyta, but knew it to be far too powerful for Sunny to take on. Instead, by using Remy's Hypnosis and Headbutt, he was able to subdue the Ponyta to the point where it stayed in a Poké Ball. Once Comet the Ponyta was transferred to the PC, he continued to ride. Members of the Kanto Pokémon Federation let him pass without issue, and were surprisingly sympathetic when he mentioned the recent deaths. The one Biker who owned the pair of Voltorb actually burst into tears, reassuring Axel that he understood completely, and that he used to own a Machop. He broke off into incoherent sobs after that, mentioning something about Saffron City's Pokémon Gym, but nothing else Axel could make sense of.

After a quick stop at the Celadon Department Store, Axel rode on, only stopping once he neared Cerulean City. It very quickly became clear that Sunny was not an expert in battling. She needed medical attention after every battle she was in, but every time Axel voiced the idea of not putting her through this, the Vulpix would shake her head in vehement disagreement. No, the Vulpix was determined to keep her Trainer happy. After all, he was the reason she was no longer just rotting away in that Mewforsaken prize exchange shack, and she wanted to repay the favor however she could.

After a while, Sunny started to improve, slowly but surely. Axel wasn't seeing the improvement at first, but at one point, when a flock of angered Pidgeotto started swooping down towards them, Sunny gave them a surprisingly ferocious Roar, scaring every last one of them away. At that moment, Axel started to get the picture, started to see just how much Sunny was improving. With more faith in his Vulpix than ever before, Axel continued to train with Sunny. She continued to improve as time went on, their training taking them down to near Celadon City. Eventually, the Vulpix was able to even defeat a wild Pidgeotto with relative ease, which told Axel that she really and truly was getting stronger, in spite of her rocky beginning. Finally, Axel felt confident enough to move the training down to near Fuchsia City, and indeed, Sunny continued to do well there. However, the wild Pokémon were quite fond of using Poison Powder, meaning that Axel started going through Antidotes like water. At one point, he swung by the Fuchsia City Pokémon Mart, only to discover that they did not sell Antidotes- they did, instead, sell Full Heals, miraculous restoratives that worked against any status condition, so he stocked up on those instead.

At long last, Axel was confident enough in Sunny's skills that he felt like going back into Fuchsia Gym. By this point, he was just hoping to put this place behind him already, ideally with no more deaths. The invisible walls were tricky to navigate, but not impossible. And thankfully, the rest of the Gym's Trainers were defeated without incident. The Jugglers gave way to Tamers who used Pokémon such as Arbok and Sandslash, allowing Axel to relax ever so slightly and use different Pokémon such as Ragweed and Hammer. At last, Axel triumphed over the final Gym Trainer, a Juggler, when Sunny insisted on finishing off his weakened Hypno after Kraken's Bite made a dent into it. At last, Axel made it into the "room" where the Gym Leader stood.

"Ah," the Gym Leader smirked, looking down at Axel. "A mere child like you dares to challenge me? Granted, you are not an ordinary child, no... I have observed your battles, and have watched you cope with losses the likes of which no Trainer should ever have to endure, least of all at your age. So... you do dare to challenge me, then? I, Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City?"

"I do," Axel confirmed confidently.

Koga nodded. "Very well. I shall show you true terror as a ninja master!" he declared. And you shall feel the despair... of poison and sleep techniques!" he shouted, throwing a Poké Ball into the air.


	34. A Poisonous Battle At Fuchsia Gym

"Venonat!" Koga shouted as the fluffy Bug/Poison-type materialized before him. Axel looked at the Gym Leader's first choice and sighed.

"All right, Sunny," he said, the Vulpix's ball in his hand. "Let's do this. Go!" he shouted, throwing the ball and unleashing his Vulpix into the fray. "Use Flamethrower!" Axel ordered- it was when his Vulpix had learned this move that he truly felt she was ready for this.

"Vuuuuuul!" shouted Sunny as she unleashed a horrifying stream of fire from her mouth. To Axel's delight, when the attack subsided, Venonat had fallen to the ground. Wordlessly, Koga withdrew Venonat, and threw another ball, this one sending out... another Venonat?!

"Another one?" murmured Axel. "Well, OK, then. Sunny, Flamethrower!"

"Vuuuuuul!" repeated Sunny as once more, a steady stream of flames flowed from her mouth. And as with the previous one, this Venonat could not withstand the incendiary assault. Koga said nothing, merely withdrawing his fallen Venonat. And then he threw another ball...

"Are you kidding me?" demanded Axel, glancing down at the third Venonat Koga had sent out. "OK, Sunny, Flamethrower again!"

"Vuuuuuul!" Sunny shouted once more as she blasted the Venonat with fire yet again. But this time, the Venonat was still standing when the attack subsided.

Koga smirked. "Venonat," he said. "Double-Edge."

"Sunny!" exclaimed Axel. Double-Edge, he knew, was an extremely powerful attack. And as Venonat charged forward, he saw Sunny defiantly standing her ground. He wanted to close his eyes, but sheer, morbid curiosity kept them wide open. And as Venonat rammed into Sunny... the Vulpix continued to stand her ground! The attack had caused major damage, true enough, but the Vulpix was still standing. And what was more, the recoil damage had proven too much for Venonat, who fell to the ground.

"Hmm," Koga smirked as he withdrew Venonat. "I must say, your Vulpix impresses me. In this land, it has reached the point where there are none of its kind remaining in the wild. Rather, Vulpix must be purchased at the Rocket Game Corner. It is not known for drawing particularly talented Trainers, so the Vulpix I am accustomed to seeing are... shall we say... less skilled than yours."

"Vul!" smiled Sunny. She may have been in the midst of battle, but that praise meant a lot to her nonetheless.

"But now, I get serious," Koga continued, a Great Ball in his hand. "Now it is time for the strongest Fuchsia Gym has to offer... Venomoth!" he shouted, throwing the ball.

Axel looked on as the purple winged creature emerged from its Great Ball. This, he knew, was Venonat's evolved form. And after seeing what that last Venonat did to Sunny in just one move... No. No. Axel had a lot more confidence in Sunny than he did before, there was no arguing that point, but he was no fool.

"Sunny, come back!" Axel called out.

"Vul?" replied Sunny, looking back at her Trainer.

But Axel shook his head. "You were great, you really proved yourself out there," he said kindly. "But now you've earned yourself a good rest, OK?"

Sunny looked like she was ready to argue with her Trainer, but she did not. Instead, she walked back over to Axel and sat as his feet.

Axel nodded his approval and smiled at Sunny, then turned his attention to Venomoth, and threw a Poké Ball. "Needles!" he exclaimed, the Nidoking emerging in a flash of light.

Koga smirked. "Nidoking? An interesting choice, for sure."

"Use Rock Slide!" ordered Axel.

Koga smirked, then said two words that made Axel's blood run cold; "Venomoth, Psychic!"

"Venomoth can learn Psychic?!" Axel shrieked. He didn't see this coming at all, and hoped against all hope that Needles could withstand it. The telekinetic assault was intense, especially to Needles, a Poison-type. And then, to Axel's horror, Needles slumped to the ground. His head did not explode, but blood was slowly flowing from the general vicinity of his face.

"No... Needles, come back!" Axel said shakily, holding out the Nidoking's Poké Ball. But to his horror, the ball had no effect. The recall beam did nothing.

Koga's smirk faded, his eyes softening somewhat. He said nothing, but he bowed his head somberly.

Axel was in shock. Needles... No... That Nidoking of his was always there to take the toughest hits enemies had to dish out. A force of pure destruction, a destroyer of worlds... now lay on the floor, unmoving, broken, destroyed... dead.

"Young man, send out your next Pokémon," Koga said quietly.

"Next... Next Po-" stammered Axel. The thought of the battle continuing was inconceivable to him right now. His Nidoking was dead!

"I am sorry for your loss," Koga interrupted, and he sounded as though he meant it, too. "But would he want you to put a battle on hold like you are trying to do? Would he have wanted you to let such accidents impede you, prevent you from reaching your goals?"

Axel hung his head. "...No," he quietly admitted. "Needles was the toughest of the tough. He'd be pissed if I let his death get to me like that."

Koga nodded. "I suspected as such when I first saw him," he replied. "Poison Pokémon have always been easy for me to read on sight alone. I was excited when you sent him out, I was expecting a fun, intense battle." Then, Koga bowed his head again. "However... it was I who underestimated my Venomoth's strength," he admitted. "And for that I am sorry. So... shall we continue our fight?"

Axel nodded. "...Yes," he agreed. "For Needles."

"Vul..." Sunny said sadly, gazing at the fallen Nidoking. She had just been getting to really know her teammates, and to see one of them die before her very eyes brought tears to said eyes. Venomoth used Psychic again, this time to gently move Needles's corpse off to the side, so as to allow the fight to continue.

"Remy!" Axel shouted, throwing a Poké Ball. The Hypno looked horrified to see his dead Nidoking teammate lying on the floor, and turned to face Venomoth, a fierce look in his eyes.

"Hyyyypnooooo!" Remy exclaimed ominously.

"Remy! Psychic!" ordered Axel.

"Venomoth, Leech Life!" commanded Koga.

Venomoth swooped down and bit into Remy, but the bloodsucking attack didn't do that much, in spite of the type advantage. Remy responded with a powerful psychic blast that threw Venomoth for a loop but didn't deter it any. On their Trainers' commands, each Pokémon repeated their previous attack, and this time, Remy's Psychic attack knocked Venomoth out.

"Hm," Koga smiled as he withdrew Venomoth. "You have proven your worth, young man," he said, approaching Axel, holding a pink, heart-shaped badge in his hand. "Here- the Soul Badge."

"Thank you," Axel said with a small smile- he had won the Soul Badge, true enough, but at what cost?

"Now that you have the Soul Badge," continued Koga, "the Defense of your Pokémon will increase. It also authorizes you to cross water on Pokémon that know Surf. Ah!" he added, producing a vile purple disc from his pocket. "Take this, too," he said, handing the Technical Machine to Axel. "TM03 contains Toxic- a secret technique over 400 years old!"

The victorious atmosphere was rather soured as Koga helped Axel bury Needles. The Nidoking was buried right next to where Itchy and Ozone were buried, after which Axel got on his Bicycle and started riding. He felt like returning home for the time being.


	35. There's No Place Like Home

The journey back to Pallet Town took Axel up Cycling Road, through Saffron City, and even through Diglett's Cave. As he emerged from the underground cavern, Axel could see Viridian Forest nearby, and memories of Flutters filled his mind and heart. He didn't know whether he was up to going through the forest, so he stopped off in Pewter City instead to rest.

While in Pewter, Axel decided to try and take his mind off of things with a trip to the museum. However, it did surprisingly little to help, especially considering the main exhibits on display- skeletons of dead, prehistoric Pokémon. He hastened to step back outside to clear his head, but he didn't watch where he was walking, and eventually ended up off at the side of the museum. He could see a door on the side, and it was swinging open and shut due to the wind. As it swung open, Axel could see a fidgety scientist with a curious object in his hands- it was a shiny, dark-yellow kind of rock, though not gold of any sort. Curious, Axel called out Ragweed to Cut down the tree that obscured his path, then entered.

"Hey," Axel greeted the scientist. "What-"

"Ssh!" interrupted the Scientist, looking all around. "Look, see, I think that this chunk of amber contains Pokémon DNA! It'd be great if Pokémon could be resurrected from it! But, my colleagues just ignore me! So, I have a favor to ask- take this Old Amber to a Pokémon Lab and get it checked!" And he handed the chunk of Old Amber to Axel.

"Wha-" Axel began.

"Ssh! Get the Old Amber checked!" pleaded the scientist.

Axel sighed. "Fine," he relented. "I'm stopping off at home for a little bit- I live in Pallet Town, so I can take it to Professor Oak. When I do get it checked, I'll let you know, OK?"

"Thank you," the scientist smiled gratefully.

Following a brief visit to the Pokémon Center and a lunch break, Axel started to feel a bit better, so he trekked through Viridian Forest, and then down through Route 1. And then, finally, he was home.

"Oh, Axel, I'm so sorry," murmured Mrs. Ketchum. Axel had just finished telling his mother about the Pokémon he had lost along the way (she knew about Battery, of course, but Flutters, Vlad, Itchy, Ozone, Brainstorm, and Needles, those were news to her). "Are you all right?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm good, Mom," Axel replied. "Check out the Pokémon I still have," he offered, leading the way outside, which confused his mother at first, until Axel sent out his Gyarados. Mrs. Ketchum took a liking to her son's Pokémon at once, Sunny in particular. Professor Oak was drawn to their house by the sight of a towering Gyarados in the middle of town, and Axel filled him in on recent events as well. After that, Axel brought up the Old Amber he had gotten in Pewter City.

"Ah," Professor Oak said with interest as he examined the chunk of Amber. "You know, he very well could be right- there could easily be ancient Pokémon DNA in this! I'd verify it, but my lab doesn't have the right equipment, I'm afraid. You'll want to take that to Cinnabar Island. It's just south of here- you said you earned the Soul Badge?"

"Yes, sir," Axel nodded.

"Excellent," smiled Oak. "And since your Gyarados knows Surf, getting to Cinnabar Island should be easy. There's even a Pokémon Gym there, so you can earn a badge while you're down there. But Axel," he added.

"Yeah?" asked Axel.

"After you get the Old Amber checked, I have a favor to ask," Professor Oak said, a worried look on his face. "I want you to go to Saffron City. I sent Zack there to warn the president of the Silph Company, as I had heard rumors that Team Rocket was targeting the place. And... that was days ago, and I haven't heard back. It's not exactly a quick trip from here to there, but he flew there on his Fearow, it stands to reason it should be able to Fly him right back... I won't lie, Axel, I'm getting worried," he sighed.

"I'll check it out," Axel assured Professor Oak. "I'll get the Old Amber checked, and then it's straight to Silph."


	36. It's Alive!

The journey from Pallet to Cinnabar was, as Axel anticipated, not a hard one. Kraken turned out to give a very smooth ride across the sea, and they were able to dodge the various Swimmers whose Poké Balls were attached to their swimsuits. Ordinarily Axel would've had no problem battling them, but he wanted to check out the Silph Company as soon as possible- he had no time for Pokémon fights right now.

Cinnabar Island was, in a word, small. The island contained a tall, dormant volcano, and a handful of buildings. And sure enough, as Axel found out, one of those buildings was a Pokémon Lab. He entered the Lab and started asking around, until...

"Hiya!" a scientist greeted Axel. "I am important doctor! I study here rare Pokémon fossils!"

"How about this?" Axel asked, producing the Old Amber from his bag and holding it out.

"Ohh!" the scientist remarked, eyeing the fossil. "It is fossil of Aerodactyl, a Pokémon that is already extinct! My Resurrection Machine will make that Pokémon live again! So, what say you? May I?" he asked.

"...Live again?" repeated Axel. "Hey, this Resurrection Machine... if I were to bring you, say, the body of a Pokémon I've lost-"

But the scientist shook his head sadly. "Very sorry I am," he said, "but machine cannot bring dead body back to life. My Resurrection Machine uses Pokémon DNA that is already fossilized, and creates genetic copy of Pokémon. It would not be the same friend of you that you know and you love, I am afraid. Science has come very far, and yet not quite that far, not yet," he concluded apologetically.

"That's OK," Axel sighed. It had been worth a shot. "But yes- here, do what you need to do with this," he added, handing the Old Amber to the doctor.

"So! You hurry and give me that!" the doctor replied, taking the Old Amber. "Now, I take a little time! You go for walk a little while!"

Taking the hint, Axel exited the room and started to walk around. As he reached the lobby, a picture hung on the wall caught his attention. It was of a man who looked vaguely familiar to Axel, but he couldn't place it.

"Excuse me, "Axel said to a nearby scientist. "Who's this?"

"Ah, that's the Lab's founder," grinned the scientist. "That's Dr. Fuji. He founded this place after the previous lab burned down, but then he pretty much vanished, nobody knows where he went. It's not surprising, really, considering how controversial some of his research was considered."

"Controversial?" repeated Axel. "What was his research on?"

"My dear boy," the scientist replied, "Dr. Fuji was looking to artificially create a Pokémon, and not just in the virtual reality sort of way like with Porygon, but a real, flesh-and-blood Pokémon. He was called out for how immoral some of his research was considered, and he would always try and defend his work, though with considerably less gusto near the end, now I think of it..."

The scientist walked away after that, and Axel was looking at the picture again. This time, his eyes widened in recognition- Dr. Fuji could have easily passed for a younger Mr. Fuji, the kindly old man from Lavender Town! But Mr. Fuji, involved in such controversial research? Axel couldn't picture it.

"Where were you?" demanded the odd doctor as Axel re-entered the room.

"Sorry, I was a bit distracted by something," Axel admitted.

"No time for the excuses! Your fossil is back to life!" declared the doctor.

"It is?!" Axel said excitedly.

"It is!" confirmed the doctor. "It was Aerodactyl like I think! Here you go!" And he handed a Poké Ball to Axel.

Axel had to admit, he was pretty excited at this point. He rushed outside and threw the ball into the air, and a large gray avian was unleashed. 'Aaeeeerooooo!" he screeched, flapping his large wings as he soared around at high speeds. Finally, he descended, landing before Axel. He looked down at Axel, as though sizing him up.

"So, you're Aerodactyl," smiled Axel. "I'm Axel, glad to have you on the team." Aerodactyl looked unimpressed, a fact Axel was quick to notice, so he hastened to send out the rest of his Pokémon. "Here," he said to Aerodactyl. "These are your new teammates, I helped to train them all."

Aerodactyl glanced at them, his eyes bypassing the Vulpix without a second thought. The Hypno and Hitmonchan seemed to vaguely intrigue him, as did the Venusaur, but at the sight of the mighty Gyarados, Aerodactyl seemed to finally look a bit impressed. He screeched questioningly at Kraken, who nodded and roared in response. And whatever was just said seemed to satisfy Aerodactyl, for it turned to face Axel and bowed his head.

"Awesome," grinned Axel. "So, welcome aboard... Jet. Now, then, Jet, let's get this done- we need to get somewhere, and I think you're just the one to get us there," he added, digging his HM02 out of his bag- looks like he had a means of air travel after all.


	37. Extreme Hostile Takeover, Silph Edition

Axel looked up at the massive Silph Company office building. Eleven stories high, the tallest building in Saffron City. He had flown to Saffron from Cinnabar on Jet, who proved to be the best way to travel by far- not only was he fast, he gave a very smooth ride as well. But now the ride was over, and he was cautiously entering the building before him.

The first floor was completely empty. No people, Silph employees or Rockets. Just a couple of potted plants, an unmanned counter, and a large fountain in the middle of the lobby. Axel walked slowly across the floor, his footsteps echoing eerily, until he reached a staircase. He climbed the stairs, and as he reached the second floor, he took a few steps forward-

"Hey kid! What are you doing here?"

Axel's eyes widened- a Rocket was storming over to him, a Poké Ball at the ready. "Team Rocket!" Axel exclaimed. "So the rumors were true!" As the Rocket advanced on him, Jet glanced around him. Once he was certain the corridor was roomy enough, he threw a ball into the air. "Go, Jet!" he exclaimed.

"Golbat!" shouted the Rocket, throwing his own ball. The creature that appeared, Axel supposed must have been the evolved form of Zubat. It was similar in appearance and color scheme, except this one had eyes and a humongous mouth. Meanwhile, Axel's Aerodactyl materialized, its screeching echoing throughout the floor.

"Jet! Wing Attack!" ordered Axel.

"Confuse Ray!" roared the Rocket.

The fight took off from there. Jet managed to shake off the confusion almost immediately and slammed its wings into Golbat. It took several hits, but the Bat Pokémon finally fell, after which Jet ensured that the three Zubat and the Raticate the Rocket used met similar fates.

"I goofed," grumbled the Rocket as he withdrew his final Zubat. He glared up resentfully at the Aerodactyl, not daring to make any sudden moves in the prehistoric presence of something that could eat him with ease. Smirking his satisfaction, Axel and Jet continued to roam the corridors. Another Rocket attacked them, but was defeated easily, after which he let slip that the diamond-shaped floor tiles were high-tech teleporters. Even a Silph Scientist that Team Rocket managed to recruit attacked Axel, though his Magnemite and Magneton required Jet to sit the fight out, allowing Remy and Ragweed to tackle them instead.

Moreover, one fact was becoming clear to Axel- he wasn't going to get much of anywhere in the building without a Card Key. All throughout the floor, there were numerous metal doors locked tight, with Card Key slots in the walls beside them. So Axel continued to climb the stairs, doing whatever he could without a Card Key. Until finally, after much stealthy maneuvering and clever use of the teleporters, he found himself in a relatively narrow corridor, and found a flat, rectangular piece of plastic on the floor with the Silph Company's logo on the front. Curious to test it out, Axel made his way to the nearest metal door while Jet tangled with (and subsequently defeated) a Rocket's Arbok. Sure enough, swiping the Card Key in the slot made the door slide open.

With this newfound freedom, Axel started to roam all around the building. Rockets awaited him on each and every floor, but Axel's Pokémon proved to be more than a match for them, Jet in particular earning his keep on the team by leading each and every attack on a Rocket's team of Pokémon. Meanwhile, Axel was opening metal doors left and right, sometimes discovering Rockets who were lying in wait for intruders, sometimes freeing innocent Silph employees who were locked up by the Rockets. Though doubtful of Axel's ability to free the building from Team Rocket's influence, they were extremely grateful for his efforts in any case. Besides the Rockets, there were also Scientists- former Silph employees who were siding with Team Rocket for one reason or another. Some had fallen for Team Rocket's promises of better opportunities, others were disgruntled with Silph management, they each had their reasons. There was even a Juggler, not officially a member of Team Rocket yet, but a clear supporter of their cause. He came at Axel with a Kadabra and Mr. Mime, but they were defeated by Jet's Fly and Remy's Headbutt, respectively.

At one point, Axel noticed that his team was starting to get worn down. He was healing them with Hyper Potions and Full Heals as the situation warranted. And then, he found a Nurse Joy hiding out in one room full of beds. Once she learned of Axel's determination to take out Team Rocket, she offered her assistance by healing Axel's Pokémon. She also told Axel that he could return to the room at any time for his Pokémon to get healed. Axel smiled, extremely grateful for this, but then left the room- he had to keep searching for Zack, he had to take out as many Rockets as he could.

Some time later, however, Axel started to get discouraged. He had just taken out the single Rocket on the eleventh floor, and he knew that that was the floor where Silph's president's office was... but there was no door to it. And through the walls, Axel could hear voices, two of them unfamiliar and fearful... but the other one was smug and all too familiar. He knew that Giovanni had to be in the president's office, but... how to get there? The answer, he realized, had to lie in the teleporters. Axel gritted his teeth- up until now, he had refrained from making much use of the teleporters if he could help it, the better to keep his bearings. But now, it looked necessary.

It took hours. Axel was roaming the corridors, trying out teleporters left and right. Until finally, one teleporter on the third floor took Axel to an unfamiliar room. A Silph Scientist was huddled in a fetal position in a corner- this one, Axel realized, hadn't defected to Team Rocket. And the other person in the room, clutching a limp bundle of brown feathers, was-

"Zack!" Axel exclaimed. Sure enough, the grandson of Professor Oak looked up, tears in his eyes.

"Axel..." murmured Zack. "Heh... I thought you might turn up if I waited here. I... Gramps wanted me to warn the president that Team Rocket was planning to invade... but when I got here, they were already in the building. I... I fought my way up here. Boss Rocket- he's in the president's office, just up ahead." As he was saying this, however, Axel's eyes widened as he realized just what that feathery bundle in Zack's arms was.

"Your Fearow," Axel said in a hushed voice. "What... what happened to it?"

Zack gritted his teeth. "Boss Rocket," he hissed. "That smug jerk... His Nidoqueen flattened Fearow like it was nothing... I tried to withdraw Fearow, but... but..." he trailed off there, but Axel understood- so many times he had tried desperately to withdraw a Pokémon after a particularly savage beating, only to discover, to his horror, that the ball didn't work anymore. Poké Balls would not withdraw the dead.

"Well, don't worry," Axel said to Zack. "I'm gonna wipe that smug smirk off of their boss's face."

"Wait!" Zack exclaimed, standing up, releasing his grip on his Fearow's corpse. "Axel... I can't let you pass."

"Wha- why?" demanded Axel, surprised at this behavior. "Don't we both want Team Rocket taken down?"

"Of course we do," said Zack. "But listen, Axel... Boss Rocket's Pokémon are powerful. Horribly powerful. I thought I stood a chance, but then..." he trailed off with a sad glance at what remained of his Fearow. "...so I need to be sure you stand a chance." With that, Zack took a Poké Ball off his belt. "If you win, Axel, I'll know you might at least stand a chance, because I didn't. But if I win... then I can't in good conscience let you put your Pokémon in that kind of danger." He looked at Axel, almost pleadingly, silently hoping that Axel would understand why he was insisting on a Pokémon fight at this most inappropriate time.

"...I understand," Axel nodded. "So let's do this."

Zack nodded, a small smile forming on his face. "OK, then. Sandslash!" he called, throwing his Poké Ball.  
"Go! Kraken!" Axel shouted, tossing his Gyarados's ball. "Surf!"

The Gyarados gave a shrieking roar, and one blast of water later, the spiky Sandslash washed up unconscious at Zack's feet. Zack withdrew Sandslash and sent in a Ninetales, only for it to meet the same fate as the Ground-type. Next up was a Cloyster- Zack had clearly started evolving his Pokémon. Kraken stayed in the fray, attacking the Water/Ice-type with a powerful Thunderbolt, knocking it out instantly. Once Zack sent out a Kadabra, however, Axel saw fit to switch to Remy. Kadabra attacked with powerful Psybeam and Confusion attacks, but the Hypno took them with ease, retaliating with Headbutt each time.

"Come back, Kadabra," said Zack, holding out the ball as it called back its Psychic-type occupant. "Not bad at all, Axel," he added, managing a small grin. "Didn't even know you had a Hypno."

"Yeah, I caught Remy here near Vermilion City," replied Axel. "He was still a Drowzee then. Didn't actually use him, though, not until... well... not until Itchy died," he mumbled.

"Itchy died?!" Zack exclaimed, remembering the Raticate well. "How?"

Axel replied, relaying the whole sorry story of Fuchsia Gym to Zack, how Itchy was just the tip of the iceberg, how he lost his Pidgeotto, his Doduo, and his Nidoking.

"Oh, man," sighed Zack. "I'm sorry, that really sucks."

"Thanks," nodded Axel. "So... you got any more Pokémon?"

At this, Zack grinned. "I got one left," he stated, throwing a ball. "Jolteon!"

"Ooh," Axel remarked, seeing the spike-covered yellow Pokémon before him. "So that's how you evolved Eevee, huh?"

"Yeah, I've been planning this since Route 22," admitted Axel. "You and Battery worked so well together, I figured there might well be something to this whole Electric-type deal after all.

"OK, Remy, come back," said Axel, holding out the ball and withdrawing his Hypno. Once that was done, he threw another ball. "Ragweed!" he exclaimed as his Venusaur emerged. "Toxic attack!"

"Use Pin Missile!" ordered Zack.

Jolteon's spikes stiffened, and numerous needles were fired off in Ragweed's direction. However, by leaning off to the right, Ragweed was able to evade the super effective move, before responding with a vile cloud of toxic gas that left Jolteon coughing.

Axel's fists clenched- he hadn't counted on Pin Missile! Bug was super effective on both Grass and Poison, so if that had hit, Ragweed would've been in trouble! But still, did he really have a choice? Remy would be in the same boat as Ragweed, and no way in hell was he bringing out Kraken or Jet against a friggin' Jolteon. There was Hammer and Sunny, of course, but he had his reservations against bringing them out against such a powerful attacker. "Use Leech Seed!" he commanded.

"Pin Missile again!" called Zack.

Ragweed managed to fire a single seed which ensnared Jolteon in its draining roots, but Jolteon fired off another Pin Missile, and this time, Ragweed couldn't evade it. The Venusaur grunted with every blow, but was still standing once the move was finished. Still, it was too close for Axel's liking. He held up Ragweed's Poké Ball. "Come back now, Ragweed!" he exclaimed as he threw another ball. "Go! Hammer!"

"Sand Attack!" Zack ordered as the Hitmonchan emerged. However, the little bit of dust Jolteon managed to kick up off the floor didn't do a thing to the Hitmonchan's eyes.

"Hammer! Seismic Toss!" commanded Axel.

"Double Kick!" ordered Zack.

Jolteon lunged forward with amazing speed, delivering two swift kicks. Hitmonchan, however, blocked them rather effectively. And then, as the poison and the Leech Seed took their tolls on Jolteon, Hammer grabbed the Jolteon, spun in a circle, and heaved the Electric-type across the room. As Jolteon collapsed to the floor, it fell unconscious.

"Come back, Jolteon!" said Zack, holding out the ball behind him. "So," he added to Axel once Jolteon was back in its ball. "You are ready for Boss Rocket."

"I just might be," Axel agreed with a grin. "Thanks for caring enough to make sure."

"Not a problem," Zack grinned back. "Look... I gotta go bury Fearow, and then get back to Pallet, tell Gramps I'm alright. Do you think you got this? I'd help, you know I would, but-"

"Believe me, I understand," Axel nodded. "Sorry for your loss."

"Same here, for your losses," replied Zack. "Well... smell ya later," he finally said as he made his way to the teleporter Axel had entered the room through, once again carrying Fearow's carcass as he walked.

After administering Hyper Potions to his team, Axel continued through the room. He tried to console the Scientist, but he seemed too out of it to listen. So instead, Axel made his way to the other teleporter, and found himself in a long corridor. If the different flooring was any indicator, this was the eleventh floor, which meant the president's office had to be just ahead-

"Hold it right there!"


	38. Rocket Rumble

"Not you clowns again!" groaned Axel- indeed, Jessie, James, and Meowth were approaching him.

"Our boss is in a meeting," Jessie snapped. "You better not be thinking of disturbing him!"

"And if I am?" Axel demanded defiantly.

"Then go, Weezing!" James replied, throwing a Poké Ball.

"And go, Arbok!" added Jessie, throwing her own ball.

"And go, me-owth!" Meowth chimed in, stepping forward with his claws extended as Arbok and Weezing emerged from their Poké Balls, ready to fight.

Axel replied with a Poké Ball of his own. "Remy! Blast them with Psychic!" he ordered.

"Hyyyyypnooooooo," Remy's voice echoed creepily as a powerful telekinetic blast emanated from his body. The attack slammed into all three enemies, and they collapsed in a heap.

"Grr," Jessie grumbled as she and James withdrew their Pokémon. She then picked Meowth up. "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Again..." sighed James.

"Shut up, James!" snapped Jessie as they raced around Axel, to the teleporter.

Axel sighed and shook his head. Those Rockets... but he couldn't focus on that, he had bigger matters lying ahead of him. Sure enough, as he reached the end of the corridor and turned the corner, there was one last metal door, a sign next to it identifying the locked room as the president's office. Axel swiped his Card Key, and the door slid open.

"Ah, Axel! So we meet again."

Axel's eyes narrowed- Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket, stood before him. Behind him, seated at a large desk, were a man and a woman- most likely the president and his secretary, both of them looking at Axel pleadingly.

"So, taking over the Silph Company?" demanded Axel. "What's the deal with that?"

"Hmm," smirked Giovanni. "The deal with that? Well, I won't tell you. You see, the president and I are discussing a vital business proposition."

"He's holding us hostage!" the president blurted out. "He's after the Master Ball!"

"Silence!" Giovanni thundered. "Or you'll meet the same fate as that brat's Fearow!" Axel gritted his teeth at this, at how casually Giovanni mentioned the Pokémon he killed. "And you," he added, turning on Axel, a Poké Ball in his hand. "Axel, I advise you to stay out of grown-up matters... or you will experience a world of pain! Nidorino!" he roared.

Axel threw a ball as Giovanni threw his. "Jet!" he exclaimed as the Aerodactyl appeared. "Supersonic!"

"Poison Sting!" Giovanni ordered. And indeed, despite being disoriented by the sound waves Jet was letting off, Nidorino managed to launch poisonous spikes at the Rock/Flying-type. What was more, Jet screeched weakly- he had been poisoned!

"Use Fly!" Axel ordered.

Jet screeched as he flew up high in the high-ceilinged room, then dove back down. The Nidorino attempted to jump up and attack Jet, convinced, in its confusion, that the Aerodactyl was still within range, only to fall on the floor and hurt itself. Jet then dove down and rammed into the Nidorino, which knocked it out completely.

"Now, Nidorino, come back," snapped Giovanni as he withdrew the Poison-type. Then, he threw an Ultra Ball. "Persian!" he exclaimed.

"Jet, come back! Go, Hammer!" Axel cried out, withdrawing Jet with the ball in one hand while throwing the ball in his other hand. Once both Persian and the Hitmonchan were out, Axel cried out, "Use Submission!"

"Pay Day!" roared Giovanni.

But Hammer muscled through the coins Persian was firing off, and wrestled the Normal-type down to the floor. Once he backed off, Persian too had fainted.

"Persian, come back!" snapped Giovanni. Then, he threw a regular Poké Ball. "Rhyhorn!" he exclaimed.

"Come back, Hammer!" called Axel, throwing another ball. "Ragweed! Razor Leaf!"

"Stomp!" ordered Giovanni. With surprisingly swift movements, the Rhyhorn evaded the sharp leaves Ragweed fired off, jumped up, and landed on Ragweed, stomping all over the Venusaur.

"Venu..." grumbled Ragweed unhappily.

"Again! Razor Leaf!" Axel ordered. Giovanni scowled- this Razor Leaf made contact, and Ragweed was able to knock Rhyhorn out in one move.

"Not bad," Giovanni conceded as he withdrew Rhyhorn. "But," he added, producing an Ultra Ball, "this one's quite a bit tougher to beat. Nidoqueen!" he exclaimed, the bulky blue beast materializing in the room.

Axel gritted his teeth- that Nidoqueen, that was what killed Zack's Fearow. There was no question of taking chances here, he had to end this and he had to end it now. "Come back, Ragweed!" he said as he withdrew his Venusaur. Then, he looked at the ball in his other hand before throwing it. "Kraken! Surf!" he ordered.

"Body Slam!" Giovanni roared.

The Gyarados unleashed a powerful blast of water, but Nidoqueen muscled through it and dropped her full body weight on Kraken. Though the Gyarados roared his displeasure, he was still in the fight.

"Now! Use Ice Beam!" commanded Axel.

Kraken roared loudly, and one icy blast later... Nidoqueen fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Arrgh!" Giovanni grunted in frustration as he withdrew Nidoqueen. "I lost again!?"

"Sure looks that way," grinned Axel.

"Blast it all!" grumbled Giovanni. "You ruined our plans for Silph! Our grunts are all defeated, and now you've even bested me... But, Team Rocket will never fall!" he added. "Axel! Never forget that all Pokémon exist for Team Rocket! I must go, but... I shall return!" he declared ominously, before storming out the door.

For a moment, Axel just stood there. Then, he administered an Antidote to his Aerodactyl, and turned to face the president and his secretary.

"My dear boy, thank you!" the president said gratefully. "You've saved Silph! Axel, was it?"

"Yes, sir," Axel replied.

"Axel," said the president. "I will never forget you saved us in our moment of peril. Now, I must thank you in some way... ah!" he said suddenly, producing a spherical object from beneath one of the couch cushions. "Had to keep this hidden from Team Rocket's boss... maybe this will do!" And he handed it to Axel.

Axel examined the sphere- it was a Poké Ball, but the top half was purple. On the front of the top half was a white "M", flanked on either side by a magenta protrusion.

"What... what is this?" Axel wondered out loud.

"Ah," the president smiled proudly. "Now, you can't buy that anywhere! That, Axel, is our secret prototype Master Ball! It will catch any wild Pokémon without fail! Though, for obvious reasons, I suggest you be quiet about using it," he added.

Axel nodded. "Thanks," he smiled carefully packing the Master Ball away in his backpack, before exiting the office.

The trip from there back to the entrance wasn't very long- after following the trail of teleporters, Axel was able to find the stairs with ease, and from there, it was no problem to reach the first floor, and by extension, the exit. As Axel stepped outside, however, he could see numerous men in identical black clothing all around him.

"You think this is over?" roared one of the Rockets. "All you did was take out our men inside the building! Forgot about us Rockets all around town, did you?"

"Heh, let's bring back the bodies of his Pokémon to the boss as a gift!" suggested another Rocket.

"For the boss!" cheered one Rocket. Axel gritted his teeth and reached for his belt, but before he could so much as select a Poké Ball, the sound of engines revving caught his attention. Indeed, the Rockets hastened to disperse as a pack of Bikers and Cue Balls rode in on the scene, forming a wall of motorcycles between Axel and the Rockets.

"What is this?" demanded a Rocket. "Who are you idiots?"

"We're the Kanto Pokémon Federation!" declared a Cue Ball. "And one thing you gotta learn about us is, we always look out for one of our own." As he said this, he flashed Axel a confident grin. "Go on, Axel- these guys'll escort you out of town while we handle these clowns." As he said this, three Bikers rode up to Axel, looking at him expectantly. Taking the cue, Axel mounted his bike and rode on out of the city. It felt weird to have an escort while cycling, but he had to admit, it was kinda cool, to say nothing of how awesome it was that the Kanto Pokémon Federation actually came to his rescue.

"Oh, man... thanks, guys," Axel grinned as they arrived in Celadon City.

"Heh, no problem, Axel, dude," replied one of the Bikers. "Like we said that time, we was wrong to hassle you like that. Consider this our way of making it up to you, hmm?"

"I'll take it," said Axel, still grinning.

"So, you seriously booted Boss Rocket out of Silph?" added another Biker.

"Seriously did," nodded Axel. This left the Bikers in awe, even after Axel decided they were at a safe enough distance for him to Fly away on Jet's back (though the whole Aerodactyl thing awed them as well, one could safely assume).


	39. The Mewtwo Diaries

Now that the Silph Company was free from Team Rocket's influence, Axel decided to take it easy for a bit, decided to explore more of the Kanto region. He stumbled upon an abandoned Power Plant where numerous Pokémon had taken up residence, and exited the building with Sewage the Muk having been transferred to the PC. Next, he explored the Sea Routes at the southernmost area of Kanto, though didn't see anything in the wild other than Tentacool until he had battled his way through Swimmers and Beauties and reached the Seafoam Islands. Like with the Power Plant, he didn't explore the place thoroughly, but did manage to find something worth his while. Indeed, as he exited the cave, Eugene the Krabby was already en route to the PC.

Finally, Jet descended on Cinnabar Island, and once he landed, Axel climbed down off his back. His first stop was the local Pokémon Mart, where he purchased a bunch of Ultra Balls and topped off his dwindling supplies of Hyper Potions."All right!" Axel grinned. "Time to tackle the Cinnabar Gym!" he exclaimed, running right towards the large building near the coast. The word "Gym" was written on the front as clear as day, and Axel pushed on the door... to no effect. The door was tightly locked. "Wha- locked?!" Axel exclaimed, pushing on the door harder, still not getting any results.

"Ah, he's locked it again," came a voice from behind Axel. He wheeled around to see a woman looking at him. "Cinnabar's Gym Leader, Blaine, is an odd man who's lived here for decades. Sometimes he'll lock himself in his Gym for no apparent reason. But if you can find the other key to Cinnabar Gym, you can get in- he never does refuse challenges, even if someone manages to get in the Gym after he's locked it."

"That's... pretty accommodating," Axel replied.

The woman shrugged. "Like I said, he's an odd man," she replied. "I've heard rumors that the second key for Cinnabar Gym was lost when the old Pokémon Lab burned down," she added, with a glance at an incinerated wreck of a building off in the distance. Somehow, it was still standing.

"Yeesh," Axel murmured. "Well... is it safe in there?"

"Actually, yes," the woman nodded. "The structure is still sound. In fact, the place could be restored like new with a little work."

"So why doesn't anyone do it?" asked Axel.

"Because wild Pokémon have taken shelter in there," the woman explained. "Nobody wants to run them out of there. Especially Blaine- he's got a soft spot for Fire-types, considering he specializes in them."

"Ah," Axel nodded. "Well... OK, I'll go in there, see if I can't find that key."

The inside of Pokémon Mansion was burned and wrecked. Chunks of wall were completely gone, chunks of fallen ceiling littered the floor... and yet, as he walked, Axel could tell that the floor was still structurally sound. And then, as Axel walked around, he heard a playful growling sound behind him. He turned to look, and saw a playful puppy with orange and black striped fur. Its bushy tail wagged playfully as it looked up at Axel.

"Heh, a Growlithe!" grinned Axel, throwing a Poké Ball. "Remy! Hypnosis!"

"Hyyyyypnooooooooo," breathed Remy, swinging his pendulum back and forth. Growlithe's eyes followed the pendulum until they drooped shut. The Fire-type slumped to the floor, snoring lightly. Grinning, Axel threw an Ultra Ball, and before he knew it, Charlie the Growlithe was being transferred to the PC.

"Yes!" Axel cheered. "I just caught a Growlithe!"

"Hyyyypnooooo!" chimed in Remy.

As Axel roamed around, he came to realize that the place was like one big puzzle. And agreeing with that sentiment was a Burglar Axel came across. The Burglar was in the process of looting the place, and attacked with his Charmander and Charmeleon, neither of whom were a match for Hammer's Strength. And then, Axel happened upon a small table with a page torn out of a notebook. "Hello, what's this?" murmured Axel. The page's edges were singed, but it was otherwise unharmed. "Let's see... 'Diary: July 5... Guyana, South America... A new Pokémon was discovered deep in the jungle'," Axel read off of the page. "Whoa... I wonder what kind of Pokémon it was."

But before Axel could ponder that point, he came to realize that there were large wooden doors barring his progress. And then, he happened upon a Rhydon statue near the stairs... with a secret switch built into it! On a hunch, Axel pressed it, and sure enough, he could hear the creaking of wooden doors opening and closing.

Upon exploring the rooms now open to him, Axel discovered something intriguing on a long, wooden table- another page from that same diary! "Ooh, let's see," Axel murmured as he approached it and started to read. "OK... 'Diary: July 10... We christened the newly discovered Pokémon, Mew...' Wait, Mew?" he repeated. He had heard of Mew before- a creature of myth, said to be the ancestor of all Pokémon. And this diary talked of the actual discovery of Mew? Now that was cool!

Axel continued to explore, this time reaching a small room on the third floor, formed by the chunks of ceiling that blocked it off from the rest of the floor. This room contained another Burglar (whose Ninetales was taken out in one hit by Kraken's Surf), and... another page of the diary!

"OK, let's see," Axel said as he perused the page. "'Diary: Feb. 6... Mew gave birth. We named the newborn Mewtwo.' Whoa," he murmured, eyes wide. "Mew... gave birth?"

"Hey, kid," the Burglar from before said. "Between you and me, I've heard rumors about that. You know about how that Dr. Fuji was looking into creating a new species of Pokémon?"

"Yeah, actually, I've heard about that," nodded Axel, remembering what was said to him at the newer Pokémon Lab. "But what does that have to do with-"

"I'll tell you," interrupted the Burglar. "The way I hear it, Mew didn't give birth- Mewtwo was cloned from Mew DNA."

"Cloned?" repeated Axel.

"Cloned," nodded the Burglar. "I've been looting this place for a while now, I've become pretty familiar with its origins. For example, ever wonder why it burned up to begin with?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," murmured Axel, glancing around. What did cause this building to burn up, anyway?

"Heh... Well, you know this is the old Pokémon Lab, right?" grinned the Burglar. "Well, word on the street is that an experiment went horribly wrong. Or maybe horribly right."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Axel.

"I'm talking Dr. Fuji trying to create the world's strongest Pokémon... and succeeding," smirked the Burglar. "Now I gotta get outta here," he added as he headed for the stairs. "Keep on exploring the place- maybe you'll piece together more of the puzzle."

More intrigued than ever, Axel continued to explore the house. Back down to the second floor, press a secret switch, find another staircase, back up to the third floor, fight a Scientist's Electric-types with Ragweed... but everywhere was a dead end. There was no more to the house that Axel hadn't already seen.

"Stuck, are you?" asked the Scientist. "Try jumping off there," he added, gesturing to a nearby hole in the floor. Axel looked down it, and could see that it led back down to the first floor... where he could see a staircase leading down? "Uh-huh," he grinned, noting the look of dawning comprehension on Axel's face. "Yeah. There's a basement to this junk heap, too. Unfortunately, that jump is the only way down there, at least until someone digs out the stairs.

"Yeesh," Axel murmured. It was a pretty big jump... so instead of jumping, he instead used an Escape Rope to lower himself gradually down to the first floor. It was a portion of the first floor blocked off by fallen rubble from the rest of the that, he was able to coil the Escape Rope back up and put it back in his backpack for future use. After that (and after Kraken's Surf defeated a Scientist's Electrode), Axel descended the stairs.

The basement was very large and roomy. Axel explored the roomy floor, until he came across a small room. It contained a Burglar (whose Growlithe and Ponyta were no match for Kraken), a secret switch (which Axel pushed, naturally), and... another diary page!

"'Diary; Sept. 1'," Axel read. "'Mewtwo is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies...' I think I get it now," he stated, eyes wide. "Dr. Fuji cloned Mew to make Mewtwo, a new kind of Pokémon, but they made it too strong and too vicious, and it somehow burned this place to a crisp!"

"That's the rumor," nodded the nearby Burglar. "He helped to found the new Lab just south of here, and then vanished. Ain't nobody's even heard from Dr. Fuji since then. And you wanna know what I think? I think that the freaky resemblance between him and that Mr. Fuji character over in Lavender Town ain't no coincidence, know what I'm saying?"

"But Mr. Fuji is so kindly and caring," Axel murmured. "How could someone like that create a monster like this Mewtwo?"

The Burglar merely shrugged, but Axel was already forming a theory in his mind. Perhaps... perhaps Mr. Fuji was trying to make amends for the way he used to be.

Axel continued to explore, but found no more diary pages, a fact that struck him as most ominous. What he did find, however, was exactly what he went in there for in the first place- the Secret Key to Cinnabar Gym! One use of an Escape Rope later and he was back out in the open and entering the Pokémon Center to heal up. Next stop- the Cinnabar Gym!

"...A quiz?" Axel frowned, looking at the machine before him. The rules of the Gym had been explained to him- in each room there stood a quiz machine, a locked door, and a Trainer. Axel had to take the machine's quiz. If he got it right, the door opened. If he got it wrong, the Trainer would fight him, and the door would open upon his victory. "OK, let's see... Caterpie evolves into Butterfree? No, it evolves into Metapod," he stated, pressing the "No" button.

"Yeah, no, that's not what they're looking for," the Burglar smirked as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Growlithe!"

Jet, however, made short work of the Burglar's Fire-types, allowing Axel to proceed to the next room. This one had two Trainers, one of whom attacked without waiting for Axel to take the quiz. Once Axel defeated the Super Nerd, he took the quiz- this one asked whether there were nine Pokémon League badges. Axel knew there were only eight, but his finger slipped and hit the "Yes" button by mistake. This prompted the other Super Nerd to fight Axel, only for Remy to defeat his Fire-types handily. In the next room, the quiz asked if Poliwag evolved three times, and Axel made the mistake of counting "Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath. That's three!" The Burglar was pretty smug about Axel's mistake, but not so much when Hammer's Strength pummeled his Ponyta. The next quiz concerned whether Electric attacks worked on Ground-types. For once, Axel got the question right, but decided to battle the Super Nerd and his Rapidash anyway. He was going to use Hammer, but the Rapidash's Stomp was too powerful for Axel's liking, so he used Kraken instead.

The next two quizzes proved to be quite easy, so Axel threw them on purpose, just to get the Trainers to battle him. He was willing to get in all the training he could, after all, especially after the last time he challenged a Gym...

All the quizzes were taken, all the Trainers beaten, all the doors open. And finally, Axel was ready. In the very last room there stood a tall, bald fellow, who could only be Blaine.

"Hah!" roared Blaine as Axel approached him. "I am Blaine! I am the Leader of Cinnabar Gym!"

"I know," Axel nodded. "I'm Axel Ketchum from Pallet Town, I'm here to challenge you."

"Very well," smirked Blaine. "But you should know, my fiery Pokémon incinerate all challengers! Hah!" he laughed again, a Poké Ball in his hand. "You better have Burn Heal!"


	40. Ya Better Have Burn Heal In Cinnabar Gym

"Ninetales!" Blaine exclaimed as the light-colored fox emerged from the ball he threw.

"Go! Kraken!" Axel shouted, throwing the ball which unleashed his Gyarados into the room. "Use Surf!"

"Tail Whip!" Blaine ordered. Axel was confused by such an order, but then remembered what that woman had said about Blaine being a strange man. Indeed, before Kraken's Surf hit its mark, Ninetales turned around and wagged its nine tails at Kraken uselessly. To Axel's surprise, however, the Surf did not knock out the Ninetales!

"Again! Use Surf!" ordered Axel.

Kraken roared loudly and unleashed another blast of water. And this time, Ninetales fell unconscious as the Water move made contact.

"Come back, Ninetales!" Blaine exclaimed, already throwing another ball as Ninetales was withdrawn. "Rapidash!"

Another familiar sight to Axel, as the fiery horse emerged from its ball. "Use Surf!" he ordered Kraken.

"Fire Spin!" Blaine ordered.

Rapidash neighed loudly, whipping its mane around wildly. Embers flew off of the mane and began to swirl around Kraken as they grew into a towering maelstrom of fire. Kraken roared in agony as the Fire Spin assaulted its body, but the second the attack began to dwindle, he fired off a blast of water, causing Rapidash to slump to the floor.

"Rapidash, get back!" Blaine called, holding out the Poké Ball. "Not bad, kid," he stated, now producing an Ultra Ball from his coat. "But now let's see how you fare against my strongest! Arcanine!" he shouted, throwing the ball and producing a large and imposing Fire-type.

"It's still a Fire-type!" Axel retorted confidently. "Kraken, Surf!"

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" commanded Blaine.

"Aarrooooooooo!" howled Arcanine as it launched a stream of fire from its mouth. Kraken roared his displeasure, but once the flames subsided, he retaliated with yet another aquatic assault. To Axel's astonishment, however, Arcanine was still standing!

"You can't douse my fire that easily, boy!" boomed Blaine. "Flamethrower!"

"Surf!" Axel shouted.

Arcanine howled once again as it fired off a white-hot stream of fire from its mouth. Kraken roared in agony, the attack assaulting its scaly, serpentine form... but as it caught sight of Axel's anxious face, the Gyarados's resolve strengthened. Muscling through the flames, Kraken unleashed his most powerful Surf attack yet, the blast of water hurling Arcanine into the wall behind Blaine... and knocking it out.

"...I have burnt out," Blaine conceded as he withdrew Arcanine. "You, boy, have earned yourself a Volcano Badge!" As he said this, he approached Axel, handing him a vivid red badge that looked like a flame.

"Cool," smiled Axel.

"Hah!" laughed Blaine again. "The Volcano Badge heightens the Special abilities of your Pokémon! And here- take this, too," he added, handing a bright orange disc to Axel. "TM38 teaches Fire Blast. Teach it to Fire Pokémon. Charmeleon or Ponyta would be good bets."

"Thanks, Blaine," Axel grinned before exiting the Gym.

Axel, however, did not end up using the Technical Machine at that time. He did have a Fire-type to use it on, but Sunny's Flamethrower was a perfectly good Fire attack. He saw no need to replace it with Fire Blast, a move notorious for its iffy accuracy. More to the point, Axel was more concerned with where his next stop would be. Consulting his Town Map, Axel came to a realization- only two badges stood between him and the Pokémon League. The Viridian City Gym, which to his knowledge had been closed for some time now, and the Saffron City Gym, which... which featured powerful Psychic-type Pokémon. Axel grew uneasy just thinking about it, but he knew he was going to have to face more Psychic-types eventually. Besides, he had Remy, didn't he? How bad could it possibly be?

Trying very hard to not think about just how bad it could possibly be, Axel had Jet Fly him to Saffron City, whereupon he entered the larger of the two Gym buildings- Saffron City's official Pokémon Gym, a place that, from what he heard, had already racked up something of a body count.

As Axel explored the Gym via numerous teleporters, he started to breathe a bit easier. Slowpoke and Slowbro... Gastly and Haunter... so far, it wasn't that bad. And then, finally, the last of the Gym's Trainers had fallen. And more to the point, Sunny was able to defeat a Mr. Mime by trapping it in a cyclone of fire.

"Well, done, Sunny," smiled Axel. "I think... it's time."

After a brief trip to the Pokémon Center, Axel returned to the Gym, and after painstakingly navigating the rooms via teleporters, finally arrived in the room as an older woman with dark blue hair. Not very old, but decidedly older than Axel. Somewhere in her twenties, Axel figured.

"...I had a vision of your arrival," the woman greeted Axel. "I am Sabrina, the Saffron Gym Leader. I have had psychic powers since my childhood, it started with me bending spoons with my mind. And... in that vision I had, I foresaw your intentions," she added. "I must tell you... I dislike fighting." She sounded rather unnerved as she said this.

"Then why are you a Gym Leader?" Axel asked.

"Because the people of any given city look up to their Gym Leader as a figure of power in times of peril," Sabrina responded. "Indeed, it was all I could do to keep the Team Rocket situation from getting even worse than it did, which speaks volumes of their power and influence. But, you see... power is not always a good thing to have," she said quietly. "I... I have fought before, at my full strength... and I have killed before. Kiyo's Machamp, a Biker's Machop... there were others, too," she murmured sadly. "I do not wish death on any of my challengers... but sometimes our psychic power is that overwhelming." She raised her head again and looked at Axel. "I sense you are a worthy foe," she stated. "I will confer upon you the Marsh Badge if you wish to forego the fight, and will not think any less of you. I do not wish to kill your Pokémon."

"I can't do that," Axel shook his head. "I can't accept a badge I didn't earn. Look, we all gotta take chances. And it's your duty as a Gym Leader to test me, to see what I'm capable of. I don't want my Pokémon to die, either, but I also don't want to have to live in constant fear of them dying. It's true, I've seen some losses myself, but... but I can't let them deter me from my goal," he said determinedly.

Sabrina nodded. "As you wish, then," she conceded a Poké Ball levitating in the air in front of her. "I shall show you my powers!"


	41. A Mind-Blowing Battle At The Saffron Gym

"Abra!" Sabrina exclaimed. Axel was a bit surprised to see the relatively weak Psychic-type appear before him.

"Abra, huh?" murmured Axel, gripping a Poké Ball. "Then I'll go with this!" he yelled, throwing the ball. It split open, unleashing into the room... a Ninetales! Sunny had evolved!

"Niiiiine!" squealed Sunny, eager to get started.

"Sunny, Confuse Ray!" ordered Axel.

The Ninetales did as ordered, and the Abra was disoriented immediately. Try as it might to attack, it instead slammed its head into the floor below it.

"Now! Flamethrower!" Axel called.

"Niiiiiiiine!" repeated Sunny, this time unleashing a powerful stream of fire from her mouth. The attack hit Abra with great force, and the unevolved Psychic-type hit the floor with a thud.

"I did not foresee this," Sabrina said with a small smile. "I do enjoy when battles intrigue me so. Now, Kadabra," she added, a Great Ball hovering in midair as it unleashed its contents onto the battlefield. This was Abra's evolved form- faster, stronger, and possessing potent psychic power.

"Sunny, you good to go?" asked Axel. As the Ninetales nodded, Axel nodded back. "Then use Fire Spin!" he ordered.

Immediately, Sunny focused hard, and several wills-o'-the-wisp formed in midair above it. The small bluish flames then drifted forward, swirling and growing, until they formed a towering cyclone of flames all around Kadabra. The Fire move ravaged the Psychic-type, dealing gradual damage, wearing it down, and more to the point, preventing it from attacking.

"Again! Fire Spin!" Axel ordered.

"Kadabra, Recover," said Sabrina.

"Kaaadabra!" Kadabra grunted, hovering out of the way of the Fire Spin, before focusing intensely. Axel watched in dismay as Kadabra's wounds seemed to heal themselves.

"Sunny, Confuse Ray!" ordered Axel.

"Niiiine!" squeaked Sunny, her eyes flashing with a curious light. As this light shone on Kadabra, it began to stagger around.

"Good!" grinned Axel. "Now use your Flamethrower attack!"

"Niiiinetaaaaales!" Ninetales squealed, firing off a powerful Flamethrower. Axel grinned- perhaps he'd order a Quick Attack next, take advantage of Kadabra's low Defense-

"Kadabra!" Sabrina called sharply, tossing a blue capsule towards the Psychic-type. The capsule burst open, releasing blue smoke which was absorbed into Kadabra's body.

"Wha-" began Axel.

"X Defend," stated Sabrina. "Still want to try that Quick Attack?"

"But how- right, right, psychic power," Axel muttered. 'OK! Sunny, Flamethrower again!"

"Psywave attack," ordered Sabrina. However, once Sunny's Flamethrower let up, Kadabra focused hard... and beat itself in the head with its own spoon.

"Let's wrap this up!" grinned Axel. "Flamethrower!" Sunny was only too glad to oblige, and in an instant, Kadabra had fainted. However, as it returned to its ball, Sabrina had an odd, apprehensive look on her face, an Ultra Ball now floating in front of her.

"I... must commend you for coming this far," Sabrina stated. "However... this ball contains the best I have to offer. Possibly the most potent example of psychic power you have ever encountered- no," she said suddenly, her eyes widening. "You have encountered a much greater example of psychic power, even if you are not aware of it." Axel simply looked confused. "I see... a Pikachu in peril... and a pickup truck," Sabrina stated, her eyes closed. When Axel said nothing in response, she opened them again. However, Axel wasn't looking disinterested- on the contrary, he was thinking about this. He remembered back when Battery had been accidentally flung off his shoulder when he tripped, back at Vermilion Harbor. And he remembered the nearby pickup truck, unnotable as it was... and he remembered a strange force slowing Battery down so he didn't slam into a concrete wall.

"I... I don't know what to..." Axel murmured with no idea as to how he would finish that sentence.

"I think there is someone or something looking out for you, Axel," Sabrina stated. "I think... I think we can enjoy this last bout. Alakazam!" she called as the Ultra Ball split open. This creature looked like Kadabra, only it seemed to have traded in the tail for a second spoon. It had an intense look of focus on its face.

"Sunny, come back-" Axel began, but the Ninetales shook her head. And deep down, Axel knew she was right. This whole time, he had been defending her from the most powerful of enemies. But now... now she really was ready. "...OK," he relented. "Go, Sunny. I believe in you." And this time, Axel meant it with all his heart. "Use Confuse Ray!" he ordered as Sabrina administered an X Defend (and rightly so- Axel had been considering Quick Attack again).

Sabrina watched with interest as Sunny's Confuse Ray caused Alakazam to stumble around in a disoriented state. The Ninetales's spirit was more than willing, the only question remaining was whether it was physically capable of living up to its spirit.

"Flamethrower!" Axel cried out as Alakazam started performing a drum solo on its own head with its spoons.

"Use Psychic," Sabrina said at last, her mind made up. She had to see, this Ninetales had her wondering, she could stand the suspense no longer.

What happened next happened so fast that neither Trainer was sure they believed it. Alakazam crossed its spoons in front of it, managing to fight through the confusion... and as its eyes glowed blue, Sunny exploded. As the head landed at a shocked and rattled Axel's feet, he couldn't help but notice the look on his dead Ninetales's face... it was a confident and happy smile. Even if it ended in utter catastrophe, the Ninetales was still happy that Axel had finally given her a chance to prove herself against a truly formidable foe.

"No... No... Sunny, no..." Axel gasped, images flashing before his eyes... The happy look in the Vulpix's eyes when she realized she was leaving the prize exchange center for good... her attempts to console Axel as he grieved the loss of Ozone and Brainstorm... All that training she underwent... The power she showed against Koga's trio of Venonat... All that she went through, and yet this was where it ended.

"...I did not foresee this," Sabrina said quietly, her tone suggesting she was holding back tears. "I... I thought... I thought your Ninetales... Sunny, as you called her... She intrigued me. Her spirit, her will, it was far beyond that of most challengers I see. I believed she would give us a good fight... I wasn't wrong, but... still... this outcome..."

Axel could not speak. He and the Ninetales were growing so close...

"...If you forfeit now," Sabrina said, "I will not think any less of you."

"...No," Axel finally spoke up. "N-no. I... This is terrible... but... but Sunny..."

"Sunny would have wanted you to go on," Sabrina finished. "With spirit like her's, this would not surprise me in the slightest."

"OK... Go, Remy," sighed Axel, throwing another ball. The Hypno emerged, horrified at the sight before him. "Use Hypnosis!"

"Recover," stated Sabrina.

Alakazam closed its eyes and focused, its injuries healing up. This stung Axel in particular- it was almost as though Sunny's efforts were completely for naught. Moreover, Alakazam had closed its eyes- it didn't even see the Hypnosis.

"Use Headbutt!" called Axel.

"Psychic!" ordered Sabrina.

Axel flinched as Alakazam focused yet again, but Remy was made of stronger stuff- the Hypno withstood the attack well, following up with a forceful blow to Alakazam's torso.

"Remy, Double Team!" Axel commanded.

"Hyyyypnooooo... Hyyyyyypnooooo..." Remy chanted as it created illusory copies all around the room. Meanwhile, Alakazam set up a Reflect, which made Axel groan- physical attacks were going to do even less now! Worse still, Alakazam's next Psychic did more damage than Axel had anticipated- the other one must have lowered Remy's Special!

"Remy, Hypnosis, do it!" Axel called desperately. He needed to buy time, he needed a plan.

The Hypno swung his pendulum once again, and this time, Alakazam fell for it. Sabrina had ordered it to use Psywave, but the attack hadn't even begun when Alakazam's eyes began to droop. Finally, it fell into a deep sleep.

This was his chance! "Remy, come back!" Axel exclaimed, withdrawing his Hypno and throwing another ball. "Kraken!" he said as his Gyarados emerged. "Use Surf!"

The Gyarados fired off a blast of water, which failed to awaken Alakazam. Encouraged by this, Axel ordered another Surf... and that did the trick. Alakazam's eyes flew open, only for it to pass out seconds later.

Sabrina approached Axel. "You have earned the Marsh Badge," she said simply, handing a circular golden badge to the Trainer. "As well as this," she added, producing a pink disc and handing it to Axel. "That Technical Machine imparts Psywave. Its power depends on the user's strength." Following that, she and Axel took a trip to Pokémon Tower, so as to bury Sunny. They buried her right next to Battery- Axel had the feeling that the two would've gotten along quite well had they ever had the chance to meet beyond that brief moment in the prize exchange center. After that, Axel hung around the Lavender Town Pokémon Center, near the PC. He had no idea what he was going to use now that Sunny was dead, and right now, he hated to even think about it.


	42. Seven Badges Going On Eight

It took Axel a while to get to the point where he was OK with it, but he finally withdrew another Pokémon from the PC, and started training it. The rest of the team found it hard to welcome the newcomer, considering how much of a liking they had taken to Sunny's perpetually... well, sunny disposition, but as has been the case before, Kraken's was the voice of reason.

It took a lot of training, but after a while, Axel finally felt confident enough in the newest member of the team to put further training on hold, and instead take a trip back to Viridian City. There were, he knew, only eight Pokémon Gyms in all of Kanto, and he needed all of their badges. And right now, he didn't care whether Viridian Gym was still closed- if it was still closed, he was going to seek out that Gym Leader and demand a Gym Battle one way or another!

However, in a twist he did not expect, Axel noticed that there were lights on in the Gym as he approached it. "What the-" he murmured.

"Viridian's Gym Leader returned!" interrupted an old man near the Gym doors. "I didn't see him myself, but that's the word around town!"

Axel was intrigued. The sign outside didn't identify the Gym Leader by name, as was usual for Gyms, nor did the bespectacled man near the entrance. He did, however, inform Axel that the Gym's Trainers tended to favor Ground-types.

After a bit of exploring, Axel came face to face with his first opponent. "Heh. The truly talented win with style!" asserted the Cooltrainer, a whip in one hand and a Safari Ball in the other. "Rhyhorn!" he shouted, hurling the ball and unleashing the Ground/Rock-type in a flash of light.

"Rhyhorn, huh?" smirked Axel. "Alright, then, I'll go with this!" he exclaimed, throwing a Great Ball which unleashed its occupant into the room.

"MUUUK MUUUUUUK!" bellowed Sewage.

"Ugh!" grunted the Cooltrainer, holding his nose as the smell of Axel's Muk was foisted upon his nostrils. "Rhyhorn, take it out, and quick!"

"Use Mega Drain!" Axel ordered.

"Muuuuuuuuuuk!" rumbled Sewage, his eyes glowing green as identically colored beads of energy flew out of Rhyhorn's body. The energy was then absorbed into the heap of sentient sludge, and the Rhyhorn slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Come back, Rhyhorn," sighed the Cooltrainer. "Sheesh, beaten by a Muk..."

"Way to go, Sewage!" Axel cheered.

"Muuuuuuk!" Sewage replied happily. And then, to Axel's mild discomfort, the Muk oozed over to him and hugged him. It stank horribly, but once he got past the stench, he found the feeling of being hugged by a Muk to be oddly nice. He hugged the Muk back, which turned the Cooltrainer's face a delicate shade of green.

The rest of the Gym Trainers weren't much of an issue for Axel's team. Sewage proved to be just as formidable a contender as the rest of his teammates as they worked their way through Tamers, Cooltrainers, and even Black Belts. It was an oddly diverse selection of Pokémon for a group of Gym Trainers, Axel thought to himself, but he thought nothing of it, shaking the thought out of his head and instead appreciating the opportunity to train up before his final Gym Battle.

Finally, Axel had fought his way through the entire Gym... all except one. He wove his way through the halls, navigated the twists and turns, and finally came to the back room, where a figure stood in the shadows.

"Hello!" Axel called out. "Are you the Viridian Gym Leader?"

In response, the figure chuckled darkly. "Among other things," he replied. And as he heard the voice, Axel's eyes widened. No. Surely not...

"Fwahahaha!" cackled Giovanni as he stepped out into the light, leaving Axel with no more doubt. "This is my hideout!"

"You... No, it can't be," gasped Axel. "I can't accept that the boss of Team Rocket is a Gym Leader!"

Giovanni smirked. "See, this is the beauty of it," he replied. "I don't need you to accept it. Whether you accept it or not, it's still fact. Your views on the matter are utterly meaningless. So," he added, chuckling again. "I take it you wish to battle me?"

"Of course," Axel nodded. "But... not as a Gym Leader. I'm not challenging you as a Gym Leader. I'm challenging you as the enemy of Pokémon worldwide!"

Giovanni's smirk faded, his eyes narrowing. "I see," he said ominously. "Very well, then- you shall see no mercy from me! Once more, you shall face... Giovanni, the greatest Trainer!" he bellowed, throwing an Ultra Ball onto the battlefield.


	43. A Groundbreaking Battle At Viridian Gym

"Dugtrio!" roared Giovanni. The Ultra Ball burst open, unleashing what appeared to be three Diglett bunched closely together.

"Trio trio trio!" the three heads exclaimed in unison.

"Dugtrio, huh?" murmured Axel. "OK, then- go, Jet!" he called, unleashing his Aerodactyl. Giovanni gritted his teeth at the sight of the Rock/Flying-type. "Use Fly!" he ordered.

"Aaaaerooooo!" screeched Jet. Flapping his wings hard, the Aerodactyl rose up higher.

"Dig!" Giovanni commanded.

"Trio trio trio!" replied Dugtrio as it burrowed its way underground. Jet zoomed down, but had to stop short, for his target was no longer within reach. Dugtrio then emerged from under the ground, right under Jet- it couldn't reach him, but Giovanni smirked- the fact that Dugtrio had evaded Fly was good enough for him right now.

"Wing Attack!" Axel called out.

"Dig again!" Giovanni roared.

However, Dugtrio wasn't able to evade this one. Jet's Wing Attack slammed into the Dugtrio before it burrowed back underground.

Axel saw his chance and seized it immediately. "Fly!" he called.

"Dugtrio, hold off! Stay undergrou-" began Giovanni, but it was too late- Dugtrio popped forcefully out of the ground, only to not see its target anywhere. Confused, Dugtrio looked all around, but only when one of the heads looked up did the mystery get solved- Jet was soaring down, right at the Ground-type. As the attack made contact, Dugtrio's three heads slumped over.

"Hmph. Dugtrio, come back," snapped Giovanni, holding out the Ultra Ball. Without a word to Axel, he threw another Ultra Ball. "Persian!" he roared as the Normal-type reappeared.

"Come back, Jet!" called Axel, holding out the Aerodactyl's Poké Ball as he threw another ball. "Hammer! Use Submission!" he called as the Hitmonchan appeared.

"Use Double Team," Giovanni smirked.

Persian meowed smugly as illusory copies of it appeared on all sides. Hammer looked all around, thrown off by this, and lunged forward, targeting a copy at random. Alas, judging by the way the copy simply vanished into thin air, the Hitmonchan clearly didn't get the real one.

Giovanni smirked. "Now use Screech," he said.

Persian, as well as all of its copies, opened their mouths, and a grating screeching sound filled the air. Even Axel had to cover his ears, but Hammer was getting the worst of it.

"Ugh... Hammer, Submission attack!" Axel shouted, but Hammer didn't respond- Axel had failed to make himself heard over the Screech.

"Now! Fury Swipes!" roared Giovanni.

Persian hissed madly and pounced, claws extended. The already rattled Hitmonchan tried valiantly to defend against the repeated, frenzied scratches, but Persian was too good- it managed to strike a weak spot with each and every swipe, not even stopping when it drew blood. Axel gasped, horrified, as Hammer tried again and again to fight back, but was stopped by Persian's deft movements.

"No... no!" Axel cried out. He reached for Hammer's Poké Ball, but even as he plucked it off his belt, the Hitmonchan fell, bleeding profusely, to the floor. As he took horribly labored breaths, he looked up at Axel, managed a brave smile, gave the best salute he could considering his hands were permanent boxing gloves... and his arm and head thudded against the floor, a light having gone out in his eyes.

"I did warn you," smirked Giovanni, "that no mercy would be shown."

"No... Hammer, come back!" Axel exclaimed desperately, but the ball's return beam shone uselessly on the Hitmonchan's body like a laser pointer. "No... No... It can't be," gasped Axel.

Giovanni smirked. "It can be, it is, and if we cross paths again, it will continue to be," he stated mockingly.

Axel said nothing. He was shocked- he never expected Hammer to die! The Hitmonchan was always so tough, muscling his way through so many powerful adversaries...

"All right, send out your next Pokémon," Giovanni persisted.

Axel gritted his teeth as he looked back up at Giovanni, hatred in his eyes. If Giovanni wanted to see Axel's next Pokémon, then he was gonna get to see it! "Go, Sewage!" shouted Axel, throwing a Great Ball. The Muk gasped in horror at the sight of his former teammate bleeding out onto the battlefield, sludgy tears falling from his eyes.

"Hm," smirked Giovanni. "You think a Muk can withstand my Persian's claws?"

Axel did not answer Giovanni's question. "Use Sludge!" he ordered.

"MUUUUUUUUK!" roared Sewage as he fired off a powerful jet of foul gunk from his mouth. However, the stream merely struck another Double Team clone.

"Again! Sludge!" ordered Axel.

"Fury Swipes!" ordered Giovanni.

The Persian copies lunged forward as one, converging on Axel's Muk as they slashed at him, but thanks to the decidedly sludgier consistency of a Muk's body, the swipes had little effect. Moreover, the close range gave Sewage a better shot, and thanks to not feeling anything from the clones' claws, he could easily discern the real Persian. And as the Sludge attack blasted Persian black, a purple tint appeared on its forehead as it began to wobble around- Persian was poisoned.

Axel grinned- they were gaining an advantage! "One more time- use Sludge!" he ordered.

"Muuuuuuuuk!" bellowed Sewage as he launched another vile stream of gunk. There were still a few Double Team copies remaining, but by sheer luck, the Muk struck down the real deal. Persian collapsed to the floor, unconscious, as its Double Team copies vanished into thin air.

"Come back, Persian," snapped Giovanni as he held out one Ultra Ball and threw another one. "Nidoqueen!" he called, as the bulky blue beast from back at the Silph Company reappeared.

Axel frowned- a Ground-type wasn't the best thing for a Muk to go up against. A Rhyhorn was one thing, but this... "Come back now, Sewage!" Axel called out as he withdrew his Muk. Then, he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Remy!" he called as the Hypno appeared before him. "Psychic!"

"Use Thunder attack!" ordered Giovanni.

Remy unleashed a powerful telekinetic blast, but as it subsided, Nidoqueen was still standing. Then, she unleashed a terrifyingly powerful blast of electricity. Axel gasped, but then he could see that as the attack subsided, his Hypno was still standing.

"One more time, Remy! Psychic!" Axel grinned, inwardly sighing in relief that the Thunder didn't do worse. Even better, this Psychic did the trick and knocked Nidoqueen out. Wordlessly, Giovanni withdrew Nidoqueen, then looked over at Axel.

"I will admit, your Hypno isn't bad," Giovanni conceded. "But you have yet to witness my full strength." And he threw another Ultra Ball. "Nidoking!" he roared, and as the purple beast appeared, Axel couldn't help but miss Needles more than usual at that moment. It was the first Nidoking he saw since his own died.

"Remy... Remy, use Psychic!" he said.

Giovanni smirked evilly. "Earthquake," he smirked.

The Hypno's telekinetic blast hit its mark, but Nidoking was still standing. It then stomped the ground hard, and the entire Gym shook. Remy in particular was having trouble keeping his footing. And then, the floor beneath Remy cracked open... and then, large shards of floor tile and the wood from underneath started jutting out from underneath at all angles. And then, to Axel's horror, a splintered, fractured beam of wood became visible just behind Remy. And the Hypno was losing his footing... falling backwards... right for the beam!

"Remy!" Axel screamed, fumbling for the Hypno's Poké Ball. No, no, no, no, this could not, and would not happen... alas, even as he pointed the ball at Remy, it was too late- the Hypno's now-lifeless body was already impaled by the broken beam, clean through the chest.

"I am on a roll, it seems," smirked Giovanni.

Now incensed beyond all reason, Axel threw another ball. "Jet! Bite!" he screamed as the Aerodactyl appeared. Sensing his Trainer's urgency, Jet zoomed forward and sank his teeth into the Nidoking, who roared his displeasure... before crackling with electricity. Axel gasped. No. Surely not-

"Use Thunder!" roared Giovanni.

"Jet!" screamed Axel, but it was too late. And unlike with Remy, the powerful electric blast did not simply injure the Rock/Flying-type. The broken and battered prehistoric creature also slumped to the ground, charred, smoking, and completely unresponsive to his Poké Ball.

"Well. That was super effective," quipped Giovanni.

"No... No..." Axel gasped. That was three of his Pokémon Giovanni killed... was this his true power? Was Axel too confident against the boss of Team Rocket? Was... was this the price of his cockiness?

One of Axel's Poké Balls burst open, Ragweed appearing before his despondent Trainer. The Venusaur gazed in horror at his fallen teammates, then looked back at the distraught Axel, then turned to glare at Nidoking. He would avenge his fallen teammates, and do whatever he could to help Axel feel better. "SAAAAAAAAAAUR!" he bellowed, partly to intimidate Giovanni and Nidoking, and partly to catch Axel's attention.

Axel looked at his Venusaur, and somehow, the sight of the confident and formidable Grass-type seemed to soothe him. "OK... Yeah. Yeah!" he nodded, trying his best to not let the dead bodies of Hammer, Remy, and Jet lying around the room get to him. "Ragweed! Razor Leaf!" he ordered.

"Venusaaaaur!" bellowed Ragweed as he shook his leaves wildly, firing off razor-sharp leaves from them. Nidoking grunted as the attack made contact, before finally collapsing to the floor.

Giovanni growled as he withdrew Nidoking. "Obnoxious kid!" he snapped. "I'll crush that foolish pride, right along with that Venusaur of yours! Go, Rhydon!" he roared, throwing another Ultra Ball. The creature that emerged was a rather iconic one in the Pokémon world, said to be the first Pokémon ever to be officially classified, and yet, this was the first time Axel ever actually saw one in person. The Rhydon roared loudly, stomping the ground, eager for battle.

But now Axel was more confident than ever. Rhydon may have been Giovanni's strongest Pokémon yet, but it was still a Ground and Rock-type. "Razor Leaf!" he bellowed.

"SAAAAAAAUR!" bellowed Ragweed, once again launching sharp-edged leaves. And all Rhydon could do was grunt and groan as the leaves made contact. Finally, the stone beast collapsed to the floor with an earth-shaking thud.

"Hm," Giovanni remarked as he withdrew Rhydon. "That was... a truly intense fight. You... I hate to admit it, but you won. A small smile had appeared on the Gym Leader's face, but it seemed somehow less evil than his usual smirk. "I must admit... I have never experienced such a truly enjoyable battle in a long time."

"Enjoyable?" repeated Axel. "Enjoyable?! You killed my Hitmonchan! You killed my Hypno! You killed my Aerodactyl!"

Giovanni bowed his head. "Yes... I am sorry about-"

"You're not sorry!" Axel interrupted. "You've never been sorry for a damn thing in your life, have you? And I bet you're still not sorry about Zack's Fearow, either? Yeah, I heard all about that!"

Giovanni sighed. "You don't believe me, which I suppose doesn't surprise me. But I tell you, experiencing an intense fight like that one... being free to go all out at my fullest strength... I know it is the job of a Gym Leader to teach something to Trainers, but... instead, it is you who have taught me something today, Axel," he admitted. "And for that, you deserve this." Axel looked- Giovanni was offering him a green, leaf-shaped piece of metal. "This is the Earth Badge," said Giovanni. "You've more than earned it."

But Axel shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't want your stinking badge. Even if it means I can't participate in the Pokémon League, I can't accept a badge from you. Not from the boss of Team Rocket."

"What?" Giovanni murmured. He continued to hold out the badge, but Axel turned his back. Giovanni sighed. "Very well, then," he said. "I suppose I'm going to have to prove to you that our battle has stirred something within me. Alright, come out now," he added, seeming to address the walls. Almost immediately, about a dozen doors slid open, and numerous Rockets raced out, lining the border of the room. Axel looked- it seemed like every single Team Rocket member in existence. Even Jessie, James, and Meowth were among them.

"Heh, just give the word, boss," grinned one of the Rockets, clutching a Poké Ball.

"Listen to me," Giovanni said, addressing the Rockets. "As of right now, Team Rocket... is disbanded."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed every single Rocket at once, Meowth included. Axel looked at Giovanni, mouth agape as though he could not believe his ears.

"You heard me," smiled Giovanni. "Your work is done now. Those who still wish to work with me are welcome help in my efforts to make amends to this region."

"But boss!" protested one of the Rockets. "Why?"

"Because this young boy has made me feel something I haven't felt in years," Giovanni responded, giving Axel a smile that almost looked grateful. "Several of his Pokémon unfortunately perished during the fight, and while I felt nothing at first... the guilt eventually got to me. More than that, there were moments during the battle where it felt to me like this was not another clash between Boss Rocket and an enemy of Team Rocket... but rather, like this was merely a Pokémon fight between two Trainers who were each giving it everything they had. It made me realize that Pokémon are not merely tools for business, not merely something to profit off of... this is something I ought to have realized long ago."

The Rockets were murmuring among themselves. Some weren't happy about this, others sounded as though they thought Giovanni had a point. Once the Rockets had left the room, Giovanni approached Axel again.

"...You're serious," Axel said in surprise.

Giovanni nodded. "As a ham," he replied. "Now, then," he added, holding out the Earth Badge. "This is no longer a badge from the leader of Team Rocket. Instead, please accept this from the Viridian City Gym Leader... a reward for a truly great battle."

Axel was surprised, to say the least. But he had to admit, Giovanni up and disbanding Team Rocket right then and there kinda erased most of his doubt. He gave a small smile, and finally accepted the badge from Giovanni.

"Here," Giovanni offered, giving Axel a brown disc. "Take this as well. This Technical Machine will teach your Pokémon Fissure, a move that knocks out an enemy in one hit. Now... if you'll allow it, I would like to help you put your Hitmonchan, Hypno, and Aerodactyl to rest," he offered.

Axel sighed. "Well... I suppose so," he agreed.


	44. Route 22 All Over Again

True to his word, Giovanni helped to transport the Aerodactyl, the Hitmonchan, and the Hypno to Pokémon Tower. He even stayed to pay respects, along with Kiyo from the Fighting Dojo. He was saddened to learn of Hammer's death, but Axel reassured him that the Hitmonchan successfully made amends for Battery's death, and then some. This seemed to make Kiyo feel better.

After all that was said and done, Axel withdrew more Pokémon from the PC, and started to train them. It took him a long while to get them trained up to the same level as Ragweed, Sewage, and Kraken, but once they were there, Axel was of the opinion that it was worth it. Finally, he made his way back to Viridian City, where he headed out west. Route 22- the path to the Pokémon League.

Axel sighed as he waded through the tall grass. He hadn't seen this place since... since Flutters... He had actually gone to visit the Metapod's grave near Viridian Forest. He was so new to training back then... So much had happened since then... but he knew one thing above all else- he couldn't let these losses get to him. He had to continue onward. Nobody had ever said that becoming a Pokémon Master was easy, and now, Axel knew there was a damn good reason for that. But his goal remained unchanged, and as long as he had faithful, loyal, determined Pokémon by his side, he knew he would succeed.

Axel left the patch of tall grass behind him and turned onto a brick walkway, and it was deja vu all over again, as he saw who was just ahead of him.

"What? Axel! Hey!" Zack greeted him. And this time, unlike the last time they met on this route, Axel was glad to see Zack. "What a surprise! I haven't seen you since the Silph Company!"

"Had a lot to do," Axel replied. "I, uh... got all the badges."

"That's cool," grinned Zack. "But... I heard some more of your Pokémon died," he added, said grin fading a little bit. "That sucks."

"Yeah," sighed Axel. "Sabrina's Alakazam accidentally killed my Ninetales. And then in Viridian Gym, I... I lost my Hitmonchan, my Hypno, and my Aerodactyl..."

"Ouch," groaned Zack. "That really does suck... but speaking of Viridian Gym, is it true that Boss Rocket was the Gym Leader?"

"Yeah," nodded Axel. "But... apparently our battle really changed something in him. Not only did he help me put Hammer, Remy, and Jet to rest, but he also-"

"-disbanded Team Rocket, I know," nodded Zack. "It was all over the news. He even found me and personally apologized for Fearow. I couldn't believe it. He even visited Fearow and Rattata's graves at Pokémon Tower!"

"Wow," grinned Axel. "So, I guess you're headed to the Pokémon League, too?"

"Damn straight," smirked Zack. "In fact, y'know what? What say you to a warm-up battle, right here, right now?"

"Sounds good to me," grinned Axel.

"OK, then!" exclaimed Zack, throwing a Poké Ball. "Sandslash!" he shouted as the Ground-type appeared in a flash of light.

"Sandslash, huh?" Axel said, readying a Great Ball. "Then I'll go with this!" he shouted, unleashing something tremendous from the ball.

"Snoooorlaaaaaax," rumbled Homer.

"Whoa, a Snorlax," murmured Zack. "Sandslash, Poison Sting!"

"Homer, Amnesia!" ordered Axel.

"Slash! Slash!" Sandslash exclaimed, firing off glowing purple needles. Most of them bounced off of Homer's large stomach, but one of them stuck. Homer's forehead started to turn purple and he started to sway back and forth- he was poisoned! Nevertheless, Homer remembered to forget. He forced himself to forget his troubles and clear his mind, boosting his Special by a large amount.

"Now use Blizzard!" commanded Axel.

"Slash!" called Zack.

Sandslash charged forward and took a vicious swipe with its claws, but the Snorlax took the hit quite well. In response, Homer unleashed a howling snowstorm from his mouth, and within seconds, a snowcapped Sandslash was lying on the ground.

"Come back, Sandslash!" called Zack, withdrawing the Ground-type as he threw a Safari Ball. "Exeggcute!" he shouted, as a cluster of half a dozen pink eggs materialized before him.

"Homer, use Blizzard!" said Axel.

"Laaaaaaaax!" bellowed Homer as he unleashed another snowstorm from his mouth. Zack opened his mouth, but before he could even give a command to Exeggcute, it too had fainted.

"Not bad at all," Zack grinned as he withdrew Exeggcute. "Now get a load of this!" he shouted, throwing a Poké Ball which unleashed his Ninetales. Axel sized up the Fire-type- he figured Homer could take it, but he didn't want to take too big a risk- the poison was steadily taking its toll.

"Come back, Homer!" Axel said, holding out the Great Ball. Once Homer was withdrawn, Axel threw a Safari Ball. "Go! Angus!" he shouted, the Tauros already stamping the ground and snorting as he emerged from his ball.

"Whoo! A Tauros!" grinned Zack. "I tried to catch one of those myself in the Safari Zone, but it ran off. Ninetales, Quick Attack!"

"Angus, Earthquake!" Axel ordered. The Tauros bellowed in response as he reared up and slammed his hooves into the ground. Immediately, the ground began to shake violently. Ninetales had managed to land a quick blow before this, but was now struggling to stand up.

"Ninetales!" exclaimed Zack.

"Now! Use Strength!" called Axel. Angus bellowed again, this time charging forward and ramming into Ninetales. And this time, Ninetales did not stand up.

"Ninetales, come back!" Zack called, withdrawing his Fire-type as he threw another ball. "Cloyster!"

"Angus, come back!" added Axel, withdrawing his Tauros. "Go, Ragweed! Razor Leaf!"

As the two combatants appeared, the Venusaur fired a number of sharp-edged leaves at the Cloyster. Even with its solid shell, the leaves flew in and struck weak points, causing the Water/Ice-type to fall over with a loud clanging noise.

"Come back now, Cloyster!" Zack said, withdrawing his fallen Pokémon as he threw another Poké Ball. "Kadabra!"

"Eesh," murmured Axel, eyeing the Psychic-type. Ragweed was, after all, a Poison-type... "Come back, Ragweed!" he stated, holding out the Venusaur's ball to withdraw him. Once that was done, he threw another ball. "Let's go!" he shouted, unleashing a formidable orange dragon, who roared loudly, spewing fire into the air.

"Whoa!" Zack exclaimed.

"Norbert, use Slash!" ordered Axel. The Charizard roared loudly, and with a great flap of his wings, had zoomed forward. Neither Zack nor Kadabra had time to react as the Fire/Flying-type took a great swipe at the latter with his claws, striking a weak point. Kadabra collapsed to the ground immediately.

"Come back, Kadabra!" said Zack as he withdrew his Psychic-type. With only one shot left, he threw the final ball. "Jolteon!" he exclaimed as the spiky Electric-type appeared.

Axel gritted his teeth- Jolteon had a clear type advantage, and he wasn't going to allow it. "Norbert, come back!" he said, withdrawing the Charizard as he threw the Safari Ball yet again. "Angus! Earthquake!" he ordered as the Tauros reappeared.

"Jolteon, Agility!" called Zack. Jolteon began to run around, becoming progressively faster as it did so, while Angus struck the ground with his hooves again. Immediately, the shaking shook up Jolteon, but to Axel's astonishment, it was able to get right back up.

"Now! Use Strength!" ordered Axel.

"Thunder!" called Zack.

"Jolteooooooooon!" howled Jolteon as it unleashed a powerful electric blast. However, Angus was able to deftly sidestep the attack as he charged forward. Jolteon had just barely finished the attack before the Tauros rammed into it, knocking it out.

"Hmm," smiled Zack as he withdrew Jolteon. "Well, that loosened me up, for sure. I'm ready for the Pokémon League now! You, too, Axel, but still, get in all the practice you can, huh?"

"Will do," nodded Axel.

"Great," grinned Zack. "Well, I'm outta here. Smell ya later!" And with that, he headed back down Route 22. Axel was eager to do the same thing... but first he wanted to hit the Pokémon Center, and then shop for some more supplies- he was running a little low on Hyper Potions for his liking.


	45. Uno, Dos, Moltres

Route 22 quickly gave way to Route 23, a long road stretching north. It was lined with impressive statues, and along the way, Axel encountered eight guards, each asking to see a specific Gym Badge. In each case, Axel was able to proudly display the badge, and was allowed to continue. This was really it, he realized- he was going to the Pokémon League.

At long last, Axel came to a large mountain, and saw that there was a cave going through it- Victory Road, he knew this to be called. The final test before the Pokémon League. A place teeming with tough Trainers.

A little paranoid about the local wild Pokémon, Axel had used a Max Repel before entering the cave. And so far, it seemed to be working. Of course, he had numerous Trainers to contend with, but his team was always able to handle them. And then, as Axel rounded a corner, he saw something that made his jaw drop. A humongous bird with wings of fire, standing proudly and majestically in the cave.

"...Moltres," Axel breathed. One of the three legendary bird Pokémon spoken of in myths. He had to catch this, he knew. As he made eye contact with Moltres, the bird gave a single nod, then assumed a fighting stance, as though confirming that it accepted his challenge. Not one to pass up such an opportunity, Axel threw a Poké Ball. "Kraken! Ice Beam!" he ordered the Gyarados, who roared loudly as he blasted the legendary with icy energy. And to Axel's amazement, the Moltres was frozen solid. Even its fiery wings weren't melting the ice. Wasting no time, Axel threw an Ultra Ball, but Moltres somehow broke free. When Axel threw a second Ultra Ball, however...

"Yes! I just caught the legendary Moltres!" Axel cheered, as Hotwings the Moltres was sent to the PC. Kraken roared his approval as well.

The rest of the trip through Victory Road... it was easier than Axel thought it would be. Much easier. There were numerous Trainers, oh, yes, and very tough ones, too, but Axel's Pokémon came out on top each and every time. And then, as Axel ascended a ladder, he saw daylight before him- he was almost out! He raced out the exit, and as he made his way north, past a small maze of statues, found himself facing an impressive building- the Pokémon League Headquarters. He had made it to Indigo Plateau. Now, naught but four of the best Trainers in the land stood between him and eternal glory.


	46. The Cold Shoulder

Axel spent the next couple of days training against the wild Pokémon in Victory Road. He wanted to be absolutely certain he was ready, that his Pokémon were ready. And after several days, he finally felt as though they were ready.

The Pokémon League Headquarters's lobby contained a Pokémon Center and a Pokémon Mart. Annoyingly, however, they didn't carry Hyper Potions- only Max Potions and Full Restores, neither of which Axel was certain he would be able to justify buying over Hyper Potions- more often than not they restored all the HP he needed them to. This made it necessary for him to fly on Norbert's back to Cinnabar Island- their Pokémon Mart happily sold Axel all the Hyper Potions he needed.

Finally, Axel found himself walking to the back of the lobby, where a small, inconspicuous doorway would lead him to the Elite 4- the four strongest Pokémon Trainers known to man or Mankey. He wasn't gonna lie, he was a bit nervous... besides their being strong, he wasn't allowed to go back to heal his Pokémon between fights- he was only able to rely on whatever medicine he brought with him, hence his recent shopping spree for Hyper Potions and Full Heals. He also brought all the Elixirs and Ethers he could find, both regular and Max- they were PP restoratives, and he had yet to need to use any on his journey... hopefully he had enough here to hold him over. Finally, Axel took a deep breath... and walked through. He could hear the door closing behind him, but he kept on looking forward- he was on a large platform adrift in a pool of water, and a red-haired woman stood before him.

"Welcome to the Pokémon League, Axel" she greeted Axel. "The badge check guards informed us that you were coming. I am Lorelei of the Elite Four, and when it comes to icy Pokémon, no one can best me."

"So you use Ice-types," Axel remarked.

Lorelei nodded. "And why wouldn't I?" she replied. "Freezing moves are powerful. And your Pokémon will be at my mercy... when they're frozen solid!" she exclaimed, throwing an Ultra Ball. "Dewgong!" she exclaimed as the Water/Ice-type materialized on the platform before her.

This was it. The fight was beginning. Axel knew he had to start strong if he had any chance. "Kraken!" he bellowed, throwing a ball which unleashed his Gyarados. Over time, Kraken had proven to be pretty much the strongest Pokémon Axel possessed. He would work with his team equally, but Kraken always rose above the rest, accepting his unofficial position as leader of the team with pleasure, and using that position very well. "Use Thunderbolt!" ordered Axel.

"Take Down!" ordered Lorelei.

"Dewgong gong!" Dewgong exclaimed as it propelled itself with its fins, sliding across the platform. Kraken blasted it with electricity, and while the attack had an effect, Dewgong kept going, and slammed into Kraken. The attack, however, had little effect, to Lorelei's mild surprise- clearly she had underestimated Kraken.

"Now! Thunderbolt again!" called Axel. And this time, the Electric attack finished off Dewgong.

"It seems I've underestimated you," Lorelei admitted as she withdrew Dewgong. "That was my mistake, and one quite unbecoming of the Elite Four." However, she was smiling. "It seems our battle is destined to be quite a bit more interesting than I had originally thought," she added, throwing another ball. "Cloyster!" she shouted, another Water/Ice-type appearing before her.

Axel was smiling, too. "Yeah... this is gonna be an interesting battle," he agreed. "Kraken, Thunderbolt!"

Kraken roared loudly as he blasted Cloyster with electricity, and as the attack subsided, the Bivalve Pokémon fell over.

"Come back, Cloyster," said Lorelei, returning the Water/Ice-type to its Ultra Ball as she threw another Ultra Ball. "Slowbro!" she exclaimed. To Axel's mild surprise, the Pokémon that appeared before him was not an Ice-type at all.

"Kraken, come back!" called Axel, withdrawing his Gyarados as he threw another ball. "Ragweed! Razor Leaf!" he ordered his Venusaur.

"Amnesia!" Lorelei called as the leaves were pummeling Slowbro. However, the attack had much more of an effect than Lorelei had anticipated- it was striking a weak spot, and Slowbro was already looking quite injured as it tried to forget about its troubles to boost its Special.

"Heh, feels pretty good to be on this side of the critical hits," Axel remarked. "Again, Ragweed! Razor Leaf!"

"Saaaaaur!" Ragweed replied, firing off another arboreal assault, this one finishing off the Slowbro almost instantly.

"Slowbro, come back now!" Lorelei said, withdrawing the Water/Psychic-type. "That critical hit..." she murmured. "Slowbro is usually quite good at taking special attacks, especially once he uses Amnesia... Now, go, Jynx!" she added, throwing another Ultra Ball. This one unleashed a vaguely human-shaped Pokémon with long blonde hair.

Axel held out Ragweed's Poké Ball. "Come back, Ragweed!" he said, withdrawing the Venusaur. Jynx was one of the few, if not only, Ice-types in existence that wasn't part water, and as such, this was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of a weakness of the Ice type one doesn't usually get to exploit. "Go, Norbert!" he shouted, throwing out the ball which unleashed his Charizard. "Flamethrower!"

Norbert roared loudly, unleashing powerful flames from his mouth, and before Lorelei could even issue a command, Jynx had collapsed.

"Yes!" Axel cheered as Lorelei withdrew Jynx. Ice was weak to Fire, but considering all known Ice-types besides Jynx (well, OK, and the legendary Articuno, but as that was considered to be a mirage by most, nobody really counted it) were part Water, it wasn't exactly the easiest type advantage to make use of.

"Impressive," smiled Lorelei. "Even though common sense would dictate that Ice is weak to Fire, few Trainers actually seem to know this. Then again, mine must be one of the few, if not only, Jynx to be owned by a Trainer. They're not found in the wild, at least not in this region... Now, behold my best Pokémon!" she declared, throwing one final Ultra Ball. "Lapras!" she called, as a formidable sea creature materialized. Four flippers and a long neck snaked out of a spiked shell. It somehow looked gentle and powerful at the same time, Axel couldn't quite explain it. Like it was as approachable as the cuddliest and friendliest Jigglypuff, yet as ferocious and powerful as... well, as Kraken. But one thing was for certain- Lapras was a Water-type, and Norbert was a Fire-type. Putting two and two together from that, it wasn't exactly rocket surgery.

"Come back, Norbert!" Axel called, withdrawing his Charizard as he threw another ball. "Kraken!" he added, his Gyarados reappearing. "Use Thunderbolt!"

"Lapras, Confuse Ray!" Lorelei ordered.

Kraken roared loudly as he zapped Lapras with powerful electricity, but to Axel's astonishment, Lapras didn't seem the least bit fazed. Then, it squealed loudly as it shone a bright, dazzling light at Kraken. The Gyarados immediately started to sway back and forth.

"Kraken, snap out of it!" pleaded Axel. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Kraken roared in confusion... swayed back and forth dangerously... and crackled with electricity. A grin slowly spread across Axel's face as his Gyarados fought through the confusion and blasted Lapras with electricity again.

"Here!" Lorelei shouted suddenly, tossing an orange spray bottle into the air. As it flew above Lapras, it began to spray its contents onto the Water/Ice-type. Once all the Super Potion was used up, the bottle clattered to the floor on the opposite end of the room.

"Kraken, once more! Thunderbolt!" called Axel. And once more, Kraken fired off a powerful electrical blast... and at long last, Lapras fell in defeat.

"You're better than I thought," Lorelei smiled as she withdrew Lapras. "Go on ahead, but be warned- you only got a taste of Pokémon League power!"


	47. Brains, Brawn, And Bruno

Axel continued on- after Lorelei was defeated, the doors behind her swung open. Before continuing on, Axel had administered a Hyper Potion to Kraken, but didn't need to do much else.

The next room was quite different from Lorelei's. No water, just hardwood floor, and rocks. Rocks everywhere. And in the center of the room, there stood a muscle-bound man wearing no shirt.

"I am Bruno of the Elite Four," the man greeted Axel. "I believe that through rigorous training, people and Pokémon can become stronger. And I have weight trained with my Pokémon! Axel!" he exclaimed. "We will grind you down with our superior power! Hoo hah!" he grunted as he threw an Ultra Ball. "Onix!" he shouted as the massive Rock Snake materialized before him.

Axel grinned- this was far from new territory for him. "Ragweed! Razor Leaf!" he exclaimed, throwing a Poké Ball.

"Saaaaaaaaaur!" roared Ragweed as he unleashed an arboreal assault from the plant on his back. Onix roared as the attacks landed, and collapsed to the floor, shaking the whole room as it did so. Grunting, Bruno withdrew Onix, then threw another Ultra Ball.

Axel couldn't help but feel a little saddened- it was a Hitmonchan Bruno had sent out now, and the resemblance to Hammer was uncanny. "Ragweed, Toxic!" he ordered.

"Venusauaaaur," rumbled Ragweed as he unleashed a foul black cloud of sinister poison from his mouth. Hitmonchan began coughing as the attack took its toll, badly poisoning him.

"Fire Punch!" roared Bruno.

"Hit! Hitmon Hitmonchan!" Hitmonchan responded as he raced forward and jabbed at Ragweed, his fist on fire. However, the Venusaur took the attack remarkably well.

"Now! Use Leech Seed!" grinned Axel.

"Double Team!" ordered Bruno.

Copies of Hitmonchan began to appear all over, but not before Ragweed had fired off a single dark brown seed. Interestingly, as the seed began to take root all over Hitmonchan's body, the seed turned a sinister shade of purple, seeming to react to the Toxic attack. Indeed, the Leech Seed seemed to be doing more damage than was usual. Axel's eyes widened- was Leech Seed's damage rising along with Toxic's?

The answer, apparently, was yes. Ragweed's Razor Leaf kept missing its mark, but it mattered not, for the Toxic and Leech Seed, working together, knocked Hitmonchan out in a surprisingly short amount of time.

"Not bad, boy," Bruno remarked as he withdrew Hitmonchan. "Hitmonlee!" he exclaimed, throwing another Ultra Ball.

"OK, Ragweed, come back!" called Axel, already throwing another ball. "Norbert! Fly!" he added, the Charizard already rising into the air as he appeared.

"Double Team!" commanded Bruno.

Axel gritted his teeth- with multiple copies of Hitmonlee all over the battlefield, how was Norbert gonna hit the right one? Indeed, as Norbert descended, he plowed straight through an illusory copy. The only upside was, Hitmonlee's subsequent attempt at a Mega Kick missed its mark by sheer luck.

"Grr... Norbert, Flamethrower!" Axel called.

The Charizard roared loudly as he unleashed a powerful stream of fire from his mouth. Multiple Double Team copies were incinerated, but more importantly, Norbert had, by sheer luck, struck the real Hitmonlee. And what was more, that one attack seemed to be all that was needed to defeat Hitmonlee.

"Your Charizard is impressive," Bruno smiled as he withdrew Hitmonlee. "But then, so is this!" he shouted, another Ultra Ball already in the air, this one unleashing another Onix. Taking the hint, Axel withdrew his Charizard, switching back to his Venusaur. As with the first Onix, one Razor Leaf was all it took to topple the titan.

"Well done, Axel," grinned Bruno as he withdrew Onix. "Your skills cannot be in question. It is no mere fluke that you have gotten past Lorelei. But," he added, one more Ultra Ball in his hand. "I still have one more fighter for you to prove yourself against. Go, Machamp!" he shouted, throwing the Ultra Ball.

Axel's eyes widened- Machamp looked like a Machoke, but a bit bigger and more muscular. Oh, and there was also the minor detail of it having twice as many arms as a Machoke, too. But Axel grinned- he had a shrewd idea as to how he could get past this muscle-bound creature.

"Come back, Ragweed!" Axel said, withdrawing his Venusaur. Great Ball in hand, Axel grinned, and threw it forward. "Go, Sewage!" he exclaimed, as the pile of sentient sludge materialized before him.

"MUK MUUUUUUK!" roared Sewage, eyeing the Machamp before him.

"An interesting choice," grinned Bruno, looking excited. "I confess myself intriged as to how this battle will unfold. Machamp, Karate Chop!"

"Sewage! Bide!" ordered Axel.

"Muuuuuuk," rumbled Sewage, closing his eyes and focusing as Machamp landed a forceful blow with one of its four hands. The Muk seemed to not even notice. Axel looked on tensely- Machamp was now using Submission, wrestling as best as it could with an opponent with the consistency of chocolate pudding (though regrettably nowhere near as aromatically pleasing), and followed up with another Karate Chop... Sewage was taking major damage, but Axel couldn't give in to those dark thoughts. He had to believe in his Pokémon. Believe in Sewage, the way Brock believed in Onix... And just then, Sewage's eyes flew open, a red aura surrounding his body. Bruno's grin faded, his eyes widening.

"Well done, Sewage!" Axel cheered. "Double the damage!"

"Muuuuuuuuuuuuk!" bellowed Sewage, the Muk now oozing forward at a tremendous speed. One of its sludgy hands formed a fist, and the Muk swung it wildly. The aura was now entirely contained within that fist as it slammed into Machamp, hitting the Superpower Pokémon with great force, dealing twice the damage Sewage himself had taken, and judging by how battered and beaten Sewage was looking, that was a hell of a lot of damage. Indeed, the attack sent Machamp flying into a wall, and collapsing to the floor. It was still breathing, to Axel's relief, but clearly in no fit state to battle any further.

"Well done," Bruno smiled, bowing his head respectfully to Axel as he withdrew Machamp. "I see you have earned the respect of Brock- only that would convince him to give to you a Technical Machine for Bide. And you use the move masterfully- he was quite right to entrust you with such a technique. Now, then," he added, "my work here is done- go on and face your next challenge."


	48. A Ghost Of A Chance

Axel made sure to administer Hyper Potions to his team as needed before going on. Ragweed had taken some damage, but it was Sewage who seriously needed healing up. Axel had never felt more proud of his Muk than he did at that moment- the fight against Machamp in particular, Axel really felt as though he had come a long way as a Trainer.

The next room sent a chill down Axel's spine- the way it was set up reminded him horribly of Pokémon Tower. And it wasn't just the tombstones, either- the floor was done in the exact same style as the tower's topmost floor. And standing in the center of the room was an elderly woman clutching a cane in one hand and an Ultra Ball in the other. Axel approached her cautiously- old though she looked, by no means was he about to underestimate her. They don't just hand out positions in the Elite Four, after all.

"I am Agatha of the Elite Four!" the woman declared. "Axel... Oak's taken a lot of interest in you, child!"

"He has?" asked Axel.

"Oh, yes," nodded Agatha. "The Pokédex he entrusted you with is proof enough of that. And he talks very highly of you, as well. That old duff... decades ago, he was once tough and handsome. But now? All he wants to do is fiddle with his Pokédex." Agatha shook her head. "He's wrong!" she snapped. "Pokémon are for fighting! Now, Axel," she said, holding out the Ultra Ball. "I'll show you how a real Trainer fights! Gengar!" she shouted, tossing the Ultra Ball. What appeared before Axel, he could only describe as a Haunter with legs. And arms to connect the hands to the body. And the eyes were different. And- OK, so they had a lot more differences than just the legs. The point is, a formidable Ghost/Poison-type stood before Axel. He knew Ghost-types weren't weak to much... so he had to focus on Gengar's weaknesses that came from it being a Poison-type.

"Go! Angus!" Axel called, throwing his Safari Ball, from which his Tauros appeared. "Earthquake!"

The Tauros bellowed loudly as he reared up and slammed his hooves into the floor. Immediately, the entire room shook, making it necessary for both Trainers to try and maintain their footing, but Gengar got the worst of it. The Ghost/Poison-type was thrown around violently by the quaking until it slumped down to the ground, unconscious.

Agatha held out the ball. "Come back, Gengar," she said, withdrawing the specter. "Well, well," she added, regarding Axel with interest. "You're not bad, child. Now, Golbat!" she added, throwing another Ultra Ball, unleashing the Bat Pokémon in a flash of light.

"Angus, come back!" Axel shouted, withdrawing his Tauros as he threw a Poké Ball. "Kraken! Thunderbolt!" he ordered the Gyarados.

"Wing Attack!" called Agatha.

To Axel's surprise, Golbat was able to keep flying after the Thunderbolt landed, but only just barely- it seemed to be flying slower, it was paralyzed by the attack! And it still managed to strike Kraken with its wings, but the damage was quite minimal.

"Again! Thunderbolt!" commanded Axel, and this time, the attack did its work, and Golbat collapsed to the floor.

"I like what I see from you, child," smirked Agatha as she withdrew Golbat. "Now, Haunter!" she added, throwing another Ultra Ball, from which a more familiar-looking Ghost/Poison-type appeared.

"Come back now, Kraken!" called Axel, withdrawing his Gyarados as he threw the Safari Zone once more. "Angus! Earthquake!"

How it worked against the hovering Haunter, nobody quite knew. But whatever the reason, the Tauros's attack somehow managed to shake up the Haunter, despite it not touching the walls, the floor, or the ceiling. And once it was done, Haunter was finally touching the floor- it had fainted.

"Haunter, get back!" ordered Agatha, and as she withdrew Haunter, she was already throwing another Ultra Ball. "Arbok!" she called as the Cobra Pokémon appeared, hissing menacingly.

"Earthquake!" called Axel. Angus bellowed in response, and this time, the shaking seemed to have struck a weak point. Arbok collapsed to the floor almost instantly, forcing Agatha to withdraw it. And then, she took out one last Ultra Ball.

"I must commend you on your skills," she said to Axel. "But I still have one left!" she added, throwing the ball. "Gengar!" she shouted, and indeed, a second Gengar appeared before Axel. He supposed that Agatha was specializing in Ghost, but had to try and get around the simple fat that there were not a lot of Ghost-types known to exist. In fact, she used two-thirds of all the known species of Ghost-types in their battle right there.

"Angus, Earthquake!" ordered Axel. Again, the Tauros stomped the floor forcefully, but this time, when the attack subsided, Gengar was still standing.

Agatha smirked. "Gengar, Confuse Ray," she said.

"Gar!" grinned Gengar, as its entire body seemed to flash with an odd light. Almost immediately, Angus began bellowing and charging all around the room.

"Angus, come on! Snap out of it!" pleaded Axel. "Use Earthquake! Come on!"

Angus mooed and bellowed loudly... but then reared up and slammed its hooves into the floor. Once more, the room shook violently, and in no time at all, Gengar had collapsed.

"Woo-hoo!" Agatha exclaimed as she withdrew Gengar. "You're something special, child!" she said to Axel. Axel was quite amazed- her levels of spirit and energy didn't seem to match her age at all. "I see what that old duff sees in you now," she added. "There is nothing more I can say- run along, now," she said as the doors behind her creaked open. Axel could hardly believe it- that was three members of the Elite Four down, just one left. One final obstacle between him and the top of the Pokémon League.


	49. What A Dragon!

Axel needed only administer a single Hyper Potion to Kraken, and before he knew it, he was ready. He stepped through the door, around a somewhat twisting and turning corridor... and before he knew it, he found himself in a long room lined with Rhydon statues. And standing at the other end, a red-haired man wearing a cape.

"Ah! I heard about you, Axel," the man greeted the young Trainer. "I lead the Elite Four- you can call me Lance the Dragon Trainer! You know that Dragons are mythical Pokémon, of course."

"Yeah," Axel nodded. This man really trained Dragon-types? He had heard of them, but never actually saw one- they were said to only be trainable by the best of the best.

Lance nodded. "They're hard to catch and raise, but their powers are superior," he said. "They're virtually indestructible! Well, are you ready to lose?" he asked, an Ultra Ball in his hand. "Your League challenge ends with me, Axel! Gyarados!" he called, throwing the Ultra Ball.

Axel was astonished- Lance had a Gyarados, too? Well, there was only one logical way to respond to this, was there not? "Kraken!" Axel called, throwing the ball which unleashed his own Gyarados. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Kraken roared loudly, and proved to be faster than Lance's Gyarados. What was more, the electrical blast Kraken unleashed seemed to hit a weak spot. To Lance's astonishment, his Gyarados collapsed in a slightly smoking heap.

"Come back, Gyarados!" he said, withdrawing the fallen sea serpent as he threw another Ultra Ball. "Dragonair!" he added.

Axel was nervous- Dragonair was the first Dragon-type he had ever seen in person. Its serpentine form was graceful in appearance, but it still exuded an aura of power. No- he couldn't take chances. "Kraken, come back!" he called, withdrawing his Gyarados as he threw another ball. "Ragweed! Toxic!" he called out.

"Use Hyper Beam!" ordered Lance.

Axel looked on, horrified- Hyper Beam was the most powerful attack that didn't kill the user! However, Ragweed grunted, taking the blast of pure destructive force remarkably well as the poison started to ravage Dragonair's body.

Seeing his chance, Axel made the call. "Leech Seed attack!" he called out.

"Venusaur!" replied Ragweed, firing off the seed, which stuck itself right on Dragonair's horn. Dragonair did nothing- Axel knew that Hyper Beam was such a draining attack that the user had to recharge after using it, preventing it from moving immediately afterwards.

"Now! Use Razor Leaf!" Axel called.

"Hyper Beam!" Lance repeated.

As the two exchanged attacks once again, Axel looked on anxiously. Thankfully, Ragweed was proving his power quite impressively, standing his ground against the second Hyper Beam. And then, as the Toxic and the Leech Seed took their respective tolls on Dragonair yet again, the Dragon-type fell over, unconscious.

"Impressive," Lance admitted as he withdrew Dragonair. "But can you go two for two?" he added, throwing another Ultra Ball- this one unleashed a second Dragonair!

"Come back, Ragweed!" exclaimed Axel as he withdrew the Venusaur. "Kraken!" he added, sending the Gyarados back out. "Use Ice Beam!" he added, surprised to see a look of apprehension on Lance's face.

"Here! Dragonair!" Lance called out. Though the Ice Beam seemed to hit really hard, Dragonair was still standing. Moreover, Lance had thrown a pink spray bottle into the air, which was now emptying its contents onto Dragonair, revitalizing it totally- a Hyper Potion!

"Again! Ice Beam!" ordered Axel. Kraken roared and repeated his attack, and this time, Dragonair was unable to withstand it.

"Come back, Dragonair," Lance said, looking more rattled than ever. And Axel couldn't blame him- that's two of his allegedly "virtually indestructible" Dragons defeated now! "Your past victories... they were no fluke," he declared. "Now, Aerodactyl!" he added, throwing another Ultra Ball.

Axel felt a pang of sadness in his heart for Jet as Lance's Aerodactyl materialized. But he took a deep breath- he had to stay focused. "Kraken, use Surf!" he ordered.

"Fly!" called Lance. With a great screech and a flap of its mighty wings, Aerodactyl soared above the blast of water Kraken unleashed.

"Use Surf again!" called Axel as Aerodactyl soared down towards Kraken.

Kraken roared in pain as Aerodactyl's Fly landed- that seemed to hit hard! However, Kraken followed up with a Surf, and this one successfully landed, knocking out the Aerodactyl.

Lance smirked. "You're not bad, Axel," he admitted. "But," he added, a final Ultra Ball in his hand. "Now try your luck against the ultimate Dragon-type... Dragonite!" he boomed as a large, impressive orange dragon materialized, small wings coming out of its back. Axel was in awe- a Dragonite! Those were said to be a myth!

"Kraken, perhaps you should get back-" Axel began, but Kraken roared and shook his head. They had come this far, and the Gyarados refused to give up. He knew just as well as Axel did- Dragonite was a Dragon-type, meaning it was weak to Ice, but it was also clearly a Flying-type. One Ice Beam would surely be all it took!

Axel nodded in understanding. "OK, Kraken, I believe in you!" he declared ."Use Ice Beam!"

"Dragonite, Thunder attack!" ordered Lance.

It was a tense few moments. Axel grinned as Kraken unleashed a powerful icy blast from his mouth, but the grin faded as it was revealed that Dragonite, injured though it was... was still standing. And then, Dragonite's antennae crackled with electricity. Axel and Kraken's eyes widened simultaneously. And then... Dragonite unleashed Thunder.

It seemed to be happening in slow motion. Kraken roared in agony as the Thunder attack landed, in more agony than Axel had ever seen him in. And then, his body swayed dangerously... and collapsed to the floor, wiping out a Rhydon statue in the process.

"Kraken... No... No..." gasped Axel. No, no, it couldn't be... Kraken was the ultimate survivor, he had lasted longer, much longer, than any of Axel's other Pokémon. He had a flashback to first purchasing the Magikarp near Mt. Moon, watching it grow up, get gradually stronger... evolve into Gyarados to defend Battery from that Magnemite... Kraken had always been Axel's ace in the hole, especially after Battery passed away... and now, the Gyarados lay on the floor before him, unmoving, broken, unresponsive to his Poké Ball... dead.

Lance was speechless. Tears were coming to Dragonite's eyes at the sight of what it had done to its opponent.

"...I am sorry," Lance finally managed to say as Axel continued to try and withdraw Kraken, refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him.

"No... No, he can't be..." sobbed Axel, watching helplessly as the ball's recall beam shone uselessly on Kraken's body. "No... No, no, no, no, no..." He collapsed to the floor. He could not help it- he had been doing so well, and now, against Lance's final Pokémon, this happened.

"Axel!" Lance said sharply. Axel could not help but look up- Lance was approaching him, offering his hand. "Listen to me. It is clear that the bond between you and Kraken was truly a close one. But you are so close. Please, don't give up now. You are an excellent Trainer from what I have seen, let alone what you had to go through to get here. The battle must go on- please, send out your next Pokémon," he requested.

Axel took Lance's hand, and the Dragon Trainer helped him up. Wordlessly, Axel nodded- the fight wasn't over yet. "Go, Homer!" Axel called, throwing a ball and unleashing his Snorlax, who looked horrified at the sight of Kraken's dead body. "Body Slam!"

"Here!" Lance called suddenly, throwing another Hyper Potion. As it soared above Dragonite, it sprayed the mythical creature with a curative spray, healing its injuries, just before Homer jumped up and threw its full body weight down on the Dragon.

"Homer, Amnesia!" called Axel.

"Hyper Beam!" roared Lance.

"Laaaaax!" grunted Homer as he withstood the powerful Hyper Beam Dragonite fired off- the most powerful one Axel had ever seen, which brought tears to his eyes- Kraken had learned Hyper Beam during their training, and he never had a chance to use it... And then, as Homer seemed to forget his troubles, Axel realized, he also had to forget his troubles. Kraken was dead, and it was nothing short of a horrible tragedy, true enough... but along the way, he had yet to let a death deter him. And this would be no different. He had to be strong. It would be an insult to the Gyarados's memory if he just gave up now.

"Blizzard!" screamed Axel.

"Snooooorlaaaaaaax!" bellowed Homer, lunching a howling snowstorm from his mouth. Dragonite, still recharging from the Hyper Beam, could do nothing except accept its fate as the frigid attack made contact. And then, Dragonite collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"That's it," Lance sighed as he withdrew Dragonite. "I hate to admit it, but you are a Pokémon Master."

Axel didn't know what to say. He had finally reached the top... but at what cost?

"I still can't believe my dragons lost to you," sighed Lance. "You are the Pokémon League Champion- or, you would have been," he added, which got Axel's attention.

"You say what now?" demanded Axel.

"I'm afraid you have one more challenge ahead," admitted Lance. "You have to face another Trainer! He beat the Elite Four before you- he is the real Pokémon League Champion!"

"Wha- the Champion," murmured Axel. This surprised him. As he started to heal up his Pokémon, he consoled them as they started to react to seeing Kraken's body lying in the room.

"I shall help you put him to rest, after your challenge," Lance offered Axel. "For now... the Champion awaits."

Axel nodded wordlessly. He had come so far... he had to go just a little more. And then, as he entered the next room, his eyes widened in surprise. "You!" Axel exclaimed.

It was Zack.

"Hey!" Zack greeted Axel. "I was looking forward to seeing you, Axel!"

"You're the Champion?" Axel asked. "I... I knew you were good, but I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Hm," grinned Zack. "Well, here I am anyway," he said. "It's been a long journey, but I always had a feeling it'd come down to this, you against me at the very end. Axel... While working on my Pokédex, I looked all over for powerful Pokémon. Not only that, I assembled teams designed to beat any Pokémon type! And now! I'm the Pokémon League Champion! Axel! Do you know what that means?" he asked.

Axel shook his head. "No, what?" he asked.

"I'll tell you!" exclaimed Zack, a Poké Ball in his hand. "I am the most powerful Trainer in the world!"


	50. One Final Fight

"Sandslash!" cried Zack, throwing the ball and unleashing the Ground-type.

"Norbert!" yelled Axel, throwing a Poké Ball and unleashing his Charizard. "Use Flamethrower!"

"Sandslash, Fury Swipes!" ordered Zack.

Norbert roared and fired a stream of flames at Sandslash, who bravely charged through the attack. However, as it subsided, it was clear that Sandslash had been burned. Sandslash scratched repeatedly at the Charizard, but the burn was affecting its power.

"Again! Flamethrower!" ordered Axel. Norbert roared again, and this time, the fire it spewed was enough to knock Sandslash out.

"Sandslash, come back!" called Zack, throwing another Poké Ball. "Go! Alakazam!" he added.

Alakazam- Axel had been afraid of this, ever since he saw Zack's Kadabra. But he had to stay strong. "Norbert, Slash!" he ordered.

"Psychic!" commanded Zack.

As Axel had feared, Alakazam moved first, but to his surprise, Norbert withstood the mental assault valiantly. Then, the Charizard charged forward and took a powerful swipe. Alakazam was thrown backwards, but did not faint. Axel was worried about Charizard, but he knew he had to continue fighting. Moreover, he still had a bunch of Hyper Potions in his backpack, and since they could be easily used in battle...

"Here!" Axel called, throwing a Hyper Potion. As it soared over Norbert, it emptied its contents onto the Fire/Flying-type, healing it up completely, while Zack took this opportunity to use Recover. "Now! Use Slash again!" ordered Axel.

This continued in this vein for a little while, with Norbert alternating between Hyper Potions and using Slash. Alakazam would use Recover to heal off damage, or else Psybeam to inflict damage. And then...

"Psychic!" called Zack.

"Slash!" Axel ordered.

As was expected, Alakazam moved first... and as it did, Axel's heart sank as he watched his Charizard's head explode.

"Noooo!" Axel found himself screaming. "Norbert! Norbert, no!"

"Oh, man..." Zack murmured, glancing around at the gruesome remnants of Axel's Charizard. "Zack, I... I'm so sorry..."

"Zam," added Alakazam, unable to bring itself to look at what it had done.

It took Axel a minute to get up the nerve to do so, but he finally threw a Great Ball out onto the battlefield. "Homer! Body Slam!" he exclaimed as the Snorlax materialized.

"Snoooorlaaaaaax," rumbled Homer as he stomped forward. Alakazam tried another Psychic attack, but Homer withstood the mental assault impressively before throwing its full body weight onto the physically frail Psychic-type, knocking it out.

"Axel..." murmured Zack as he withdrew Alakazam. "I... I..."

"I know," nodded Axel, trying to not look at what remained of Norbert. "I... I know. Let's just keep going. It's... it's what Norbert would have wanted."

"Right," nodded Zack, now throwing a Safari Ball, which unleashed what appeared to be a sentient palm tree onto the battlefield- Zack's Exeggcute had obviously evolved into Exeggutor.

"Homer, Amnesia!" called Axel.

"Exeggutor, Leech Seed!" cried Zack.

"Tor!" exclaimed all three of Exeggutor's heads as it fired a seed at the Snorlax, who was currently trying to forget his troubles.

"Now! Blizzard!" ordered Axel.

"Snooooorlaaaaaaax!" Homer bellowed, assaulting his arboreal adversary with a powerful snowstorm. Somewhere along the line, the Ice move seemed to hit a weak spot, and the Exeggutor was felled.

"Come back, Exeggutor!" said Zack, holding out the Safari Ball as he threw a Poké Ball. "Cloyster!"

Axel withdrew Homer- he knew Body Slam would do no good against the Water/Ice-type and its formidable Defense, and of course Blizzard would be a waste of time. "Go, Ragweed!" Axel called, sending out his Venusaur. "Razor Leaf!"

"Venusaaaaur!" bellowed Ragweed. In stark contrast with the rest of the fight, this part was almost insultingly quick. Cloyster didn't even have time to use an attack before the Grass move tore at it, got into the shell, struck weak points... and the Bivalve Pokémon fell on its side, unconscious. Following this, Axel sent Angus out to combat Zack's Ninetales, and the Tauros's repeated Earthquakes, interrupted briefly by the Ninetales's Fire Spin, knocked out the Fire-type. And finally...

"Jolteon!" called Zack, throwing the ball and unleashing his Electric-type, his very first Pokémon.

Axel sized up the situation- Angus had taken some serious damage, he didn't want to take much more in the way of risks...

"Come back, Angus!" Axel called, withdrawing his Tauros and throwing a Great Ball. "Homer!" he cried out, sending the Snorlax back into the fray. "Amnesia!"

"Jolteon, Thunder!" ordered Zack.

Axel tensed up, but relaxed almost immediately- Jolteon's attack did a great deal of damage, but Homer was still standing, looking around absentmindedly as it purposely drove all troubling thoughts from its head, clearing its mind, and sharply boosting its Special. Thinking quickly, Axel threw a Hyper Potion over Homer's head, and once the medicine was dispersed onto the Snorlax, Zack ordered another Thunder. As Axel had anticipated, this one did much less damage.

"Now! Blizzard!" Axel ordered Homer.

"Jolteon, Quick Attack!" Zack ordered.

"Laaaaaax!" roared Homer, grunting as Jolteon dashed in for a quick, light strike, then retaliating with a powerful snowstorm. To Axel's frustration, Jolteon didn't look too fazed.

"Homer! Body Slam!" called Axel.

"Jolteon! Thunder!" shouted Zack.

As Homer charged forward, Jolteon unleashed a powerful electric blast. And to Axel's relief, the Snorlax took the hit like a champ, and allowed its full body weight to fall down on Jolteon. When Homer got back up, the result was clear as day... Jolteon had fainted.

"...So, you've won," Zack grumbled, though with a small smile. "It's hard to believe I lost... I mean, I never made any mistakes raising my Pokémon... well, in any case, Axel, it looks like you're the new Pokémon League Champion," he said, offering Axel a handshake. Axel grinned back, and shook Zack's hand. "Jolteon," Zack added, now kneeling down beside his Electric-type who had just regained consciousness. "Don't sweat it, buddy, you were great. Hey-" he added, gently turning the Jolteon's head so it was looking up at its Trainer. "I picked the _right_ Pokémon," he smiled. Jolteon smiled back, at which point Zack withdrew it.

"Axel!" came a voice. Axel turned to look- Professor Oak was now entering the room. "So, you won! Congratulations!" he said with a warm smile. "I- ooh," he added, having just noticed the dead Charizard in the room. "Axel, that's not..."

"I'm afraid so," sighed Axel. "And the Gyarados in the previous room, too-"

"Not Kraken?" asked Zack, shocked. "I thought it was odd that you didn't use him, but I didn't want to say anything..."

"Yes, well... Axel, you are the new Pokémon League Champion," Professor Oak continued, clearly wishing to change the subject to something decidedly less sad. "You've grown up so much since you first left with Battery- Axel, you have come of age!"

He was right, Axel knew. It was hard to believe that he was once just a rookie Trainer, celebrating happily over having caught a Rattata... Of course, he still missed Itchy, and would have loved to be able to celebrate this victory with him... but alas, that wasn't an option anymore, so he had to do the next best thing, and carry on, to honor the memory of his fallen Pokémon, to ensure that their deaths were not in vain.

"Axel," Professor Oak was saying. "You understand, of course, that this victory was not just your own doing?"

Axel nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied. "I wouldn't have gotten here without the Pokémon I traveled with, dead or alive."

Oak nodded approvingly. "Exactly," he smiled. "The bond you share with your Pokémon... it's marvelous. Now, come with me," he added, leading the way through the doorway behind Zack.

The final room was a small one. Only a small computer sat at the end.

"This floor," Oak was saying as he led the way across the room, "is the Pokémon Hall of Fame! This is where Pokémon League Champions are honored for their exploits, and the Pokémon they traveled with recorded. Axel, you have endeavored long and hard on your journey to become the Champion... And now, Axel, congratulations... you and your Pokémon are Hall-of-Famers!"

With that, Oak indicated to Axel where to put his Poké Balls. Even the ones which used to contain Axel's Gyarados and Charizard- Axel felt it only right that their contributions not go unnoticed.

"Norbert," Axel murmured, as an image of a Charizard showed up on the screen. "You didn't join us until rather late in the journey, but I will never forget all you did for us. Thank you... Rest in peace."

"Sewage," Axel continued, as an image of a Muk showed up on the screen. "Everyone else may think you stink, but when I smell you, all I smell is the smell of success. Thank you."

"Homer," Axel said, as an image of a Snorlax showed up on the screen. "You didn't just eat and sleep. You did all that, and a whole lot more. Thank you."

"Angus," Axel added, as an image of a Tauros showed up on the screen. "You may have been the only thing I caught in the Safari Zone, but that alone was worth the 500 Pokédollar entry fee. You've fought hard, you never once gave up... Thank you."

"Ragweed," Axel smiled, as an image of a Venusaur showed up on the screen. "Melanie knew what she was doing, leaving you in my care. Whatever she saw in me that night, at Vlad's grave, I'm glad she saw it. Thank you."

"Kraken," Axel sighed, as an image of a Gyarados showed up on the screen. "I'm glad Battery convinced me to give you a chance. You were one of the best, man... You were worth way more than the 500 Pokédollars that man charged me for you. If I ever see him again, I'm going to thank him for giving me such an incredibly wonderful Pokémon. Thank you... rest in peace."

THE END...

…?


	51. A Mission From Mew

The journey back to Pallet was a blur. Axel was pleased to have finally reached his goal and become a Pokémon Master... but horribly saddened by losing Kraken and Norbert. The pair of mighty dragons were laid to rest at Pokémon Tower, after which a party was thrown in Pallet Town in honor of Axel's victory. Everyone in town attended, and Zack even came down from Indigo Plateau- Axel was offered a position as official League Champion, but since it merely entailed him standing in one spot and only fighting those who came his way, Axel turned it down- he preferred to be able to see the world.

Then, one night, as he lay sleeping in his bed, he had a peculiar dream. Nothing could be seen, but a voice spoke to him.

"Axel," the voice said. "Axel..."

"Hmm? Wha?" Axel murmured. He was in a fog- nothing was visible in any direction. "Am... Am I dreaming?"

"Yes," the voice said. "But that doesn't mean that this isn't real. Axel, listen... I have watched over you from the very beginning. I have seen your potential, and have helped you out wherever I could." And then, at that point, a pink blur became visible in the fog ahead. Axel's jaw dropped as the figure became more and more defined. It was-

"...Mew?" Axel murmured.

"Yes!" the voice replied in a cheerful, almost childlike giggle. Mew's mouth didn't move, however- it seemed to be more along the lines of telepathic communication. "Remember, Vermilion Harbor? I was keeping watch from beneath the truck. It was I who saved Battery- it wasn't yet his time."

"But... but the Fighting Dojo, that was his time?" asked Axel. "Why... why couldn't you prevent any of the deaths?"

Mew bowed its head. "Because I know what would have awaited them," it admitted quietly. "Fates grimmer than those which befell them. Deaths more horrific. I saved Battery when I did because I knew that you were not ready to lose him, not yet. But in every case, when I allowed one of your Pokémon to pass away, it was because sparing them would only mean they die in a more gruesome fashion than they did. Slower, more painful... And I know you would not have wanted that," Mew concluded.

Axel could only nod in reluctant agreement. Mew had a point, he hated to admit- better the way they went than anything even more gruesome.

"Now," Mew continued. "Now that you are a Pokémon Master... now that you have lived up to the potential I saw in you from chapte- er, from day one, I have a favor to ask of you. Something that, I think, can only be entrusted to someone who has proven themselves as you did, someone who has triumphed against impossible odds, endured unimaginable losses and still stayed strong... this is something I can only entrust to the best, Axel, and that is you."

"What is it?" Axel asked.

"Do you remember what you learned as you explored the charred remnants of the original Pokémon Lab?" Mew asked. "What knowledge you gained from those charred fragments of Dr. Fuji's diary?"

"...Yeah," nodded Axel. "Something about you... and... Mewtwo..."

"That's the one," Mew replied. "Mewtwo... my clone... my child. Even now, its unparalleled power goes unchecked. It resides currently in the Unknown Dungeon, which I believe the locals call Cerulean Cave." As it said this, an image of a large gray and purple Pokémon swam in front of Axel's vision- this, he supposed, had to be Mewtwo.

"Cerulean Cave..." murmured Axel. He had heard of the place before- a cavern where horribly strong Pokémon resided.

"Go to Cerulean Cave," Mew instructed Axel. "Ignore all wild Pokémon you see, act as though they have not appeared... focus only on Mewtwo. As far as you are concerned, Mewtwo is the first thing you will encounter in there. Understand me?" Axel nodded. "Good," Mew said. "Now... I want you to catch Mewtwo."

"Catch it!?" Axel exclaimed.

"Catch it," confirmed Mew. "Only under your ownership will Mewtwo cease to be a force of destruction. You have what it takes to tame Mewtwo, to curb its vicious tendencies. Mewtwo exists to fight, so it will want to prove itself against your Pokémon... I do not recommend this," Mew stated. "You are good, but Mewtwo is in a league of its own. Fortunately, you have something that can tip the odds in your favor."

Axel knew what Mew was talking about. "The Master Ball," he murmured.

"You catch on quick! I like that!" giggled Mew, actually performing a backflip. "Yes, yes, the Master Ball! The people at Silph know their stuff- that prototype will get the job done. Now go, Axel- it's nearly morning."

"Nearly morni- wha?!" Axel exclaimed, as he sat bolt upright- he was back in his bed, in his room, smelling the mesmerizing scent of bacon coming from downstairs- his mom was cooking his favorite breakfast.

Professor Oak was shocked that Axel intended to go to Cerulean Cave, but admitted he was powerless to stop him. All he could do was advise Axel to be very careful- it was known to be home to horribly powerful Pokémon, and was in fact only open to Pokémon League Champions in the first place. En route to Cerulean City, Axel stopped by Viridian's Pokémon Center, and withdrew Hotwings the Moltres from the PC. He was able to teach the legendary bird Fly, which made the rest of the journey quick and easy. And before Axel knew it, he stood before the entrance to the cavern.

"...this just in," said the TV news reporter, "we have received word that Axel Ketchum, newly crowned Pokémon League Champion, has last been sighted entering Cerulean Cave. The young Trainer is said to have also captured the legendary Moltres-"

Mr. Fuji froze as he heard the news report in his house in Lavender Town. "Axel..." he murmured, looking out of his window, a worried look on his elderly face. "Are you trying to catch that monster?"

Deep inside Cerulean Cave, Axel instructed Homer to swim around the corner, as the Snorlax ferried his Trainer across the water with Surf. Now that Kraken was no longer with him, Axel needed another means of water transportation, and to his utter surprise, his Snorlax could learn Surf. The journey through the cave was long and winding, and yet, Axel could not say whether any wild Pokémon had shown themselves before him. They could've, there might not have been any, he didn't know one way or another- he was in that cave for one reason, and one reason only. And then, as Axel reached a dead end, he saw that very reason- a gray and purple, vaguely human-shaped creature standing on a rock platform, eyeing Axel curiously. Then, it lunged forward and roared loudly.

"Mewtwo..." Axel murmured. "Alright. It's time." But instead of reaching for one of the Poké Balls on his belt, he instead dug into his backpack and produced the purple and white sphere that the president of the Silph Company had given him. "Let's do this! Go, Master Ball!" Axel shouted, the cry echoing all through the cave as he launched the sphere.

As the echo died down, there was silence. Dead silence. Mewtwo eyed the ball warily. And then, as it made contact, a loud sucking sound echoed throughout the cave, as powerful energy took hold of Mewtwo, pulling it into the ball. The ball snapped shut with an air of finality as it fell to the ground, and though it wobbled and lurched violently as Mewtwo fought to escape, ultimately... the ball fell still.

"Yes... Yes!" Axel cheered as he scooped up the Master Ball- he only had five Pokémon at that time, so the ball didn't vanish. "I did it! Mewtwo is mine!"

From then on, Axel continued to train his Pokémon, maintaining his title as League Champion and Pokémon Master. With his faithful Pokémon, including Gene the Mewtwo, there was no longer any height that eluded his grasp. And yet, despite this, Axel did not change. He did not forget his friends, human or Pokémon, dead or alive, even now that he was the very best, like no one ever was.

THE END


End file.
